Don’t believe what you see!
Ghosts, goblins and other miniature versions of superheroes and villains will be everywhere tonight, but they’re not real! – Just fyi (!) The other thing that may not be real is the grass you see when you look out across the field. The transitional period in Texas and the southern plains can vary widely and is often deceiving whereas the cool season is just getting started and the warm season is in a dried back, or late stage, with very little feed value. The other very deceiving thing is pastures that are exotic like Coastal Bermuda. Unless it is managed, as forage, it may be very green and big, and/ but (!) very low contribution to the nutrition for the bison. Natives are always better as standing hay. These are all things that make September and October a bit of a trick for southern plains bison, but hang on – here’s the treat. October & November are ready to explode with cool season plants for your bison herd’s plant community diversity pleasure and health. You just got to make it through the dead-zone of late summer and early fall.
The other thing that is going on this year, more than any other year past or yet to come is National Bison Day, held for the first time for a US National Mammal. While we bustle and plan our buffalo works, and hustle up knowledge of what the market may hold, luck might be served with regard to our charge if we participate in remembrance and celebration of the National Mammal of the United States. November 5th is National Bison Day, and unlike National gum-rapper day, and unlike other past National Bison Days, it symbolizes and provides opportunity for a diverse community to celebrate in support of this iconic American animal, and its importance on the land, that is… our National Mammal.
Personally I appreciate the fact that the Bison Legacy Act was signed into law on May 9th, just one day after the end of Texas Bison Week, so as not to conflict – I assume…
