Have rats or mice around the farm or ranch? Most of us have a few of these unwanted pests whether we are aware of it or not. Anyway, if you are setting traps to control these rodents, happen upon a dead one, or decide to clean out the old barn, the Texas Department of State Health Services has a few safety tips for you to consider before you reach for that rat.
Fresh cut forage material continues to respire (a process which breaks down sugars and releases water) as it decreases in moisture content from around 80 percent to the less than 20 percent needed for storage as baled hay. During this respiration process some heat is generated and released from the forage. It is best for hay quality and safety if most of this heat can dissipate prior to the hay being baled. Being too quick to bale hay and store it in the barn can result in loss of hay quality and possibly result in a barn fire as well.
How much should I (charge/pay) for some hay that I (have to sell/need to buy) is a common question that we get around the Extension office. The problem with trying to set a price on hay is that you are often are comparing apples to pears or so to speak.
This year and last Extension Agents in Rains, Smith, Van Zandt, and Wood Counties conducted result demonstrations to help find economical and effective control products and rates for blackberries, which can be one of the more difficult to control pasture weeds.
Keeping track of rainfall on both a current and historical basis is a topic that is often of interest to people involved in agriculture. While we have had abundant rainfall in Smith County during May and June (and now shaping up to be so in July) most of the soil types in the area do not store moisture for very long once conditions turn dry again.
