Ag News and Views: May 1999

May, 1999 Table of Contents News & Views Archive Issues

Forage
Forage Observations: Looking Back & Thinking Ahead by Chuck Coffey
Hopefully, we won't have to live through another year like 1998 in the near future but it always pays to plan ahead. And because droughts are a normal occurrence in our business, we should always have a plan to offset their severity.

Horticulture
Leasing Pecans by Sean Maher
Leasing of pecan trees may be an option that would well serve both parties. Of course, this is not a new idea, but it is one that may be difficult to implement. There are so many variables that it is difficult to make a good, blanket recommendation. Nevertheless, I will attempt to set out some considerations for crafting an individualized lease.

Plant of the Month
Bermudagrass by Russell Stevens

Soils
To Fertilize or Not to Fertilize??? by Wadell Altom
The real answer to this question depends on many factors such as your goals for the enterprise, soil type, fertility status of the soil, weather and so on. Another question could be how many cows or other livestock are needed for an economical enterprise? Perhaps you have the wrong enterprise if profit is the primary goal.

Wildlife
The 50:50 Model for Bobwhites by Grant Huggins
An appropriate mental model for bobwhite habitat is often difficult to communicate to land managers. Discussion of percent cover types, interspersion, patchiness, edge, etc. often leave a blank look on the face of a manager. One concept I have found that seems to stick with managers is what I call the "50:50 model."