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 Miniature horses are found all over the world and come in various colors and coat patterns. While they are the size of a very small pony, many retain horse characteristics and are considered “horses” by their respected registries.
Miniature horses are friendly and interact well with people. Maybe that is why the Monastery Miniatures have become a major tourist attraction in Brenham, Texas. The Monastery of St.Clare welcomes guests from all walks of life every day (except Christmas and Holy Week) from 2 to 4 p.m.
Since 1985, Sister Angela has been the monastery miniature caregiver. They have helped her develop an even greater respect for all of God’s creatures. These “little miracles” have been blessed with intelligence, a sense of humor and a trust that they will be taken care of.
Today, The Poor Clares of Brenham maintain a herd of 80-100 prized miniature horses on a 98-acre ranch in Washington County, Texas, about an hour’s drive west of Houston. In case you don’t get a chance to visit the Monastery Miniatures, Ag Lifestyles has brought their heartwarming story to you. We hope that you enjoy the show! Watch it now at 24-7agtv.com |
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Written by Howard Jensen, DVM, MS, ACAN
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Increasing the bottom line, isn’t that our goal in the beef business? However, rising grain, hay and fuel prices make that task more and more difficult. Today, more than ever before, increasing our animal’s efficiency is paramount to improving our bottom line. .jpg) What if you could get more out of your grasses and reduce supplement feeding. What if you could get your cow to harvest its own feed cheaper than you can provide it? What are you willing to consider to increase digestion and utilization of your grass or hay by 10%, while maintaining productivity and health? In answering that question, it is important to remember that the portion of feed that is not digested passes out of the cow in the manure. Therefore, increasing digestion and getting more value out of the feed is like getting “free feed”. If you are interested in accessing the nutrients that may now be passing out of your cow, then please, read on.
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Written by Bryan McMurry, PH,D.
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 The future of any cowherd is heavily dependent upon a good heifer development program. By developing a strategy for where we want the cow/calf operation to go, we ensure the heifers' long-term profitability. It is today's replacement heifers that will take us there. Start with the end in mind.
As with any business, a strategy is only viable if it can be tactically supported and executed by the organization. It doesn't make sense to try and pull a sow through a knothole. We must select females to fit the environment and bulls to fit the market. Cows that do not fit the production environment are less profitable and require additional, often costly, inputs. The two factors to consider while selecting females are biological type, as it relates to mature size, and breed type or genetic make up.
We cannot manage what we do not measure. The most valuable piece of equipment on the ranch is a good set of cattle scales, especially if it is under the chute. The most important criterion by which an individual cow is measured is her productivity relative to her weight per year; 50% of the cows’ weight weaned every year. Mature size, in this case body weight at maturity, is the starting point for heifer development. Once we determine the "ideal" mature weight for the herd in a given environment and select the heifers most likely to fit that environment, we are ready to tackle the heifer development program. Mature body weight drives the calculation of the target metrics for our heifer development program, the weight at breeding and calving.
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 Trick Riding traces its roots to the Romans, who stood on their horses to race, and the Russian Cossacks, an army group who would do stunts such as hanging off the side of the horse. Trick riding in America began in the early 1900's as a rodeo contest event.
Cowboys and cowgirls entered the trick riding event--pushing their bodies, strength, equipment, and horses to the limit as they sought to outdo one another in terms of difficulty, speed, and danger. When the competition became so intense that the danger became out of control, trick riding evolved into the specialized, contract act that we now know as modern trick riding.
Modern trick riding focuses much more on poise, grace, balance and style than did early trick riding. Until the 1930s trick riding was a standard competition at rodeos. In the '50s, however, rodeo organizers demoted it to an entertainment act.
Tom Mix was the first Western movie stuntman-actor in movie history. Seems everyone in America knew who Tom Mix was by the late 20s. He made over 400 films and a 15 episode serial in the mid 30s. Now, all but a handful has been destroyed by the elements and poor storage. Most were silent films. What was unique about this actor? He wasn't just an actor with flashy moves and stuntmen doubles to make him look good; he did all of his own stunts. He was an accomplished rodeo star, who could ride, do trick riding, roping, take on the bad guys, and woo the ladies.
For more trick riding information and entertainment please watch Ag Lifestyles' show Trick Brahma.
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Answering this question requires that we take a journey back in time; back to what I like to refer to as the beginning of the “genetic revolution” in the U.S. cattle business.
In 1975 a calf that weaned and went to market weighing 400 pounds was considered a good calf. Today a 400-pound calf would not generate a positive net return in most operations. With the increasing costs of production it now takes calves weighing nearer 600 pounds to generate a positive net return. Over the last thirty years the cow/calf segment of our industry has improved weaning weights to near 600 pounds. We have accomplished this by incorporating a number of improvements in technology.
The first is genetics and the associated animal breeding technology that contributed to the genetic revolution. Since 1975 the influence of European breeds has had a substantial impact on increasing the weaning weight of calves. Crossbreeding and the exploitation of complementarity and heterosis have contributed as well. The development of EPD technology as a selection tool for growth facilitated further advancements in weaning weights.
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