The Wild & Dangerous Side

Danger lurks despite the paradise-like setting of Dogwood Ranch. The “Big Three Dangers” wild and dangerous forces on Dogwood Ranch are: 1) Africanized honey bees; 2) fire ants; and, 3) poison ivy. If you have encountered any one of the Big Three, you know that prevention truly is the best medicine!

In addition to the Big Three Dangers, Dogwood Ranch hosts other dangerous or annoying plants and critters such as copperhead snakes, scorpions, biting flies, thistle and chiggers. On occasion during warm weather, we will find a copperhead (Agkistrodon spp) in a woodpile or hiding curled-up under a board or log. Just this month, I (carelessly and knowing better) stooped down and with my bare hand and picked up a board used as a ramp for the truck to drive over. Lying underneath was a foot-long copperhead snake. I flicked over the rest of the boards with my foot or used another board to upturn them to see what was underneath before stooping down to pick it up. The poisonous snake has bitten no one at Dogwood Ranch. We used to kill the copperheads but now just use a shovel and toss them out of the way. For more information about copperheads, photos, their habitat and harm their bites can cause see http://www.copperhead-snake.com/.   The photo I’ve used here is from this site.

Cooperhead Snake

The same is true with the tiny scorpions; no one at the ranch has suffered a sting. These black striped scorpions (Centruroides vittatus) are between an inch and two inches long from head to tip of the tail. We see them in the barn and find them under logs, boards and around the fire ring. For more information about the Texas black striped scorpion, visit the Texas Agricultural Extension Service at Texas A&M University http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/l-1678.html  and AgriLife Extension at http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg364.html. 

Black Striped Scorpion

Due to the presence of these poisonous critters, we keep a first aid kit handy and have the telephone number to the Trinity Hospital in Brenham nearby.

Biting flies made a first obnoxious appearance this spring. We believe they were some breed of deer fly. They buzzed around our face, bit our foreheads and ears which would then itch for days. Although they only swarmed for about two weeks, they were annoying enough to even drive us away from Dogwood Ranch a while.

Chiggers, not dangerous to my knowledge, are an extremely annoying pest. Chiggers (Trombicula (Eutrombicula) alfreddugesi (Oudemans) and T. splendens Ewing) are microscopic mites that hangout on the tips of tall grass and in brush and trees. When you pass by, they jump on to hitch a ride, while biting you to feed on your blood. Unfortunately, you will not know that you’ve gotten chiggers until a day or two later when the itchy red bumps pop-up. By then, there is not much you can do other than tolerate the itch. Chiggers’ preferred feeding ground on humans are places where clothes fit tightly around the waistline, elastic legs and waists of undergarments and under socks, or where the flesh is thin, tender or wrinkled like around the ankles, armpits, back of the knees, in front of the elbow and groin area.

After we acquired Dogwood, it was several weeks before we were able to get a mower and cut down the tall grass in the “civilized” area of the property. Many itchy chigger infestations later, we gave Dogwood a nickname – Chiggerville! Even now, 7 years later, we refer to areas of the property with tall grass and weeds in summer as Chiggerville. To avoid chiggers, we found these methods work best: 1) bug spray with DEET; 2) wear loose fitting clothes with long sleeves and pants if you must go into Chiggerville; and, the best advice, 3) don’t go into Chiggerville from spring to fall. For more official information about chiggers and how to avoid them to the Texas AgriLife Extension site run by Texas A&M http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/chiggers.html.

Although some of these critters are poisonous and a bite or sting can have serious health consequences to a human if prompt and proper medical care is not sought, we must remember that Dogwood Ranch is, partially anyway, a Texas native wild environment. These creatures are part of Dogwood Ranch as much as the dogwood trees, the barred owls and the red-shouldered hawks. If shown the proper respect by us and our guests we can co-exist with the copperhead, black striped scorpions and biting flies and put up with chiggers.

Conversely, with fire ants, Africanized honeybees and poison ivy, peaceful co-existence gave way to a declaration of all out war. My next few posts will consist of briefings from the trenches about our battles with these wild and dangerous forces.

Birds of a Feather

Kingfishers, pileated and red-bellied woodpeckers and eastern blue birds visit Dogwood Ranch and some of them make the ranch their home, even though they are in the backyard of two sets of birds of prey. Sometimes we hear so many birds chirping it sounds like a bird sanctuary.

Belted Kingfisher

An energetic belted kingfisher entertains us every now and then. It sits on a dead limb hanging high out over the pond. From the limb it flies out over the water in a circle rapidly chattering and presumably catching bugs until it returns to the limb. It does this over and over, sort of like a dog playing fetch.

A great egret also frequents the pond as well as a very shy great blue heron which flies away if it spots the slightest movement from us. When we see the heron we try to turn into statues so as not the scare it, but even a slight move to scratch an itch is detected by the bird and it flies away slowly flapping its great wings.

Great Egret at Dogwood

In the springtime, occasional wood ducks stop at Dogwood Ranch’s pond. A crisp cool morning is one of our favorite times at Dogwood Ranch. As the sun peaks through the trees, shining on the tree trunks on Dogwood, we sip our piping hot morning coffee and watch the ranch wake-up. Before trucks start rambling down the road, mornings are quiet and peaceful. Gradually the morning mist burns away and birds of all kinds start to chirp. Fat Dogwood Ranch squirrels jump around in the treetops before scrambling down to the ground to look for acorns, of which there are millions – thus, the reason for fat squirrels!

We usually sit with our backs to the pond so we can watch the sun gradually light-up the property. One particular March morning was a classic calm Dogwood morning-in-the-making by the campfire when behind us we heard a loud SPLASH! We both nearly fell over in our chairs as we jumped up to look behind us to see what caused the commotion. Two migrating wood ducks caused the splash when they landed in the pond for a little springtime romance. They chased each other in the water and on the bank, with the female shaking her rump in a way that kept the male interested. After awhile, they flew away. Those were the first ducks we saw at Dogwood but we’ve seen wood ducks on the pond the last few springs.

Red-bellied woodpeckers usually start their hammering the trees for bugs after the sun comes up. We have also seen a large pileated woodpecker.

Beautiful eastern blue birds are rare on Dogwood Ranch but we see them on occasion. For years we heard woodcock in the woods but did not see one until last year. It waddled under some brush in a thick brushy area. We have heard, but never seen, bobwhite quail.

A nice complement of common birds including cardinals, yellow-breasted chat, common yellow throat, thrushes, warblers, crows and hummingbirds also add to the color and bird chatter on Dogwood Ranch. We also hear all sorts of birds we do not ever see but hear and have not identified. When all of these varieties of birds show-off their vocal cords on a nice sunny morning, it can get rather loud but it is a peaceful happy noise. The brids sound like they are so happy to see another day begin that they sing about it!

To help us identify bird sounds better, we us a devices called an Identiflyer, which plays, birds sounds and tells you what bird it belongs to. Here’s a link to the site of the inventor of the device. http://www.identiflyer.com/#/home

Birds of Prey-Barred Owls

“Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?” This is how birders describe the hoot of the barred owl (Strix varia). It can also be described as hoohooho-ho, hoohooho-hoooooaw, ending on a rolling note. Listen for yourself to the distinctive hoot by clicking http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/id and going to the Sound tab. Sometimes the barred owl hoot can be confused for the sound of a barking dog in the distance.

Barred Owl Perched in Juniper Tree

Along with a mating pair of red-shouldered hawks as described in the post dated July 25, 2010; Dogwood Ranch is also home to a mating pair of barred owls. We heard these owls calling across the woods to each other several years before we saw one we could affirmatively identify. As described in the post about the red-shoulder hawk nest, we believe the first time we saw a barred owl on Dogwood Ranch was when a large bird swooped down under the trees at dusk to clutch its prey and fly away.

Those that question whether two different bird of prey species, red-shouldered hawk and barred owl, can share the same territory ask a very good question. Usually, neither species tolerates other birds of prey in their square mile or so territory. An exception is that the red-shouldered hawk and the barred owl which do not consider each other competitors for the same food source because they hunt at different times of day. The hawk hunts during the day and the barred owl at night, so they stay out of each other’s way.

We love the sound of the barred owls’ hoot. For some reason it is very comforting to hear them calling out from the woods in the night. In the fall and winter months, we usually hear them start calling about 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. When we hear one hoot, we stop what we are doing and wait for the other to reply-hoot within a few seconds and sometimes from clear across with woods from the other. They may trade calls for two or three rounds in early evening before twilight. We figure they are just checking in with each other before they set out for the night’s hunt. These calls tend to stop in the spring once the owls have a nest with eggs so that they do not give away the sight of the nest to other predators. Sometimes late at night or in the early morning hours before sunrise, we hear the owls call to each other again, perhaps checking-in when they return from the night’s hunt.

The barred owl is a medium-sized gray-brown owl with white horizontal barring on the chest and vertical barring on the belly. They are round-headed with a whitish/brown facial disk with dark brown trim. They have brown eyes and a yellow beak that is nearly covered by feathers. The plumage of males and females are the same, although the female is larger than the male. The birds are typically 16-25 inches long with a wingspan of 38 – 50 inches. They weigh between 17.5 and 37 oz. Barred owls live about 10 years in the wild. They prefer deep moist forests, wooded swamps, and woodlands near waterways. The characteristic habitat contains heavy mature woods with nearby open country for foraging. The area should include densely foliated trees for daytime roosts, conifers or deciduous trees with year-round leaves for winter roosts, and the presence of large trees with suitable cavities for nesting. Like for the red-shouldered hawk, Dogwood naturally meets these habitat requirements for the barred owl.

Barred owls typically conceal themselves in the dense leaves in treetops during the day. On Dogwood Ranch, they tend to frequent tall juniper or “Texas cedar” trees with thick evergreen foliage. Although cedar will be the subject of a future post, habitat for the barred owl is one of the few redeeming qualities of the otherwise invasive, water-hog and unwanted “trash” cedar trees in Texas. We also see the barred owls fly from treetop to treetop when we are hiking deep into the wooded areas where they tend to nest.

The literature about barred owls often refers to their aggressive nature towards humans near the owls' nest. We have not experienced any aggressive behavior from these birds. Of course, their nest has usually been back in the woods rather than near our main living, work and recreation area. However, several times just before dusk, one of the owls has made an appearance near our evening sitting area. We have a cedar post in the ground near the barn where we mounted the rain gage that sends an electronic signal to the rain monitor indoors. The gage is a plastic cylinder about 6 inches tall with a four-inch circumference. A mesh cupped shaped screen designed to keep leaves and other material from clogging the rain-measuring device sits inside the gage. When we would arrive at Dogwood Ranch for a weekend, we often noticed the screen lying on the ground next to the cedar post. We were astounded that the wind could blow so hard as to blow the screen out of the gage so often.

One evening about dusk, while sitting outside enjoying a cocktail, in the dim light we saw a large dark bird land right on top of the rain gage. It was one of the barred owls. It looked around unperturbed by our presence. We even managed to get the camera out of the car and snap a few shots (with a flash!) while it sat calmly posing for the camera. After it flew away into the trees, sure enough, the mesh screen was on ground next to the cedar post! The culprit dislodging the screen was not the wind but the owl, which apparently frequented this perch and pulled the screen out with its talons. The Critter Cam (subject of a later post) has also shot photos of Junior (a juvenile red-shouldered hawk) perching on the rain gage during the day.

Barred Owl Perched on Rain Gage

The barred owl's diet is similar to the red-shouldered hawk. The owls are semi-nocturnal to nocturnal hunters and prefer to eat small mammals, especially rodents. That's good for mice control in our main living, working and recretation space. This owl is also an opportunistic hunter who will take whatever is available, including small birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians or insects. They often sit on a perch, like a rain gage on a cedar post, and wait to hear or see prey, then they swoop down from above to grab its dinner.

In the cooler months, after dark we like to sit out by the tank (cow pond) in the warm glow of a campfire contained in a metal fire ring. On a moonless night the edge of the woods is pitch black. On occasion, we will hear a horrible screeching cry from the woods that will go on for 30 seconds or so and we know a barred owl has just caught itself a nice big dinner of squirrel, opossum or rabbit. Although it is just part of nature and the normal food chain in the woods, it is a little un-nerving to hear the prey’s last screeches of life rolling out of the pitch black woods.

Barred Owl Chicks

In 2007, we discovered the owls’ nest. Barred owls build their nests in dead deciduous tree cavities or trunks. We discovered such a tree trunk cavity back in the woods in the area from where we often hear owls hoot during non-nesting season and where we see them fly from treetop to treetop when we are on the trail back in the woods. Looking across the creek bed to a cavity in the top of a broken-off tree trunk, we noticed several pairs of big eyes looking back at us. The eyes belonged to two barred owl chicks. We returned the next week with proper camera equipment and shot some nice photos of the chicks, which look a bit like little old men!

For more information about barred owls or other birds, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds website is an excellent authoritative resource which includes photos, video and sounds clips of birds. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1189

Birds of Prey-Red Shouldered Hawks

Red-Shouldered Hawk Adult

Birds of prey are as much a part of Dogwood Ranch as the dogwood trees. Soon after purchasing the first 10 areas of Dogwood Ranch, we often heard loud birdcalls that we certainly don’t hear in the big city of Houston. One evening the following spring, just before dusk with a just a minutes of twilight remaining, I saw a large flying bird swop down under the trees in the deep shadows, grab something off the ground and fly away. The next morning, we looked up into the tops of the tall oak trees close to where the bird swopped down. About 60 feet up, we spotted a huge bowl of sticks, dried leaves and Spanish moss in the main crotch of the tree between the trunk and a large limb. It was the nest of a large bird. Over the next few weeks, we watched the nest, using telephoto camera lenses and a telescope. The nest was the nursery of a nesting pair of red shouldered hawks (Buteo lineatus). Today we believe the large bird we saw swoop down at dusk was an owl and it is just happen stance that it did so under the tree the hawks nested in. I will provide more on the owls in a later post.

The red-shouldered hawk is a large, broad-winged hawk. Females, weighing about one and half pounds, tend to be larger than the males. Adult wingspan is between 3 to 3.5 feet. Distinguishing characteristics include reddish shoulders, a rust-colored breast with white and dark streaks, long, narrow and blackish-brown wings with black and white stripes on the undersides, long tails with narrow black and white bands and white tips, and a translucent "window" patch on each wing at the base of their primary feathers. See the Texas Parks & Wildlife link for more information about the red-shouldered hawk. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/redshoulderedhawk/

The chicks are born blind and helpless but are able to leave the nest within 45 days after hatching. One banned bird lived for 20 years. Their diet consists of rabbits, rodents, and other small mammals, as well as small birds, snakes, lizards, frogs, fish, insects, and crayfish. According the TPWD, the red-shouldered hawk is an effective hunter, helping to maintain a balance of predators and prey in woodland and grassland areas. We certainly are grateful for its love of small rodents, specifically mice, to help with rodent control in our temporary living quarters at Dogwood Ranch.

Red-shouldered hawk calls are often used as the cry of bald eagles in the movies and on television because their calls are more distinctive than the eagle's call. To listen to the call, click here and go to Sound.  http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-shouldered_Hawk/id  Federal law protects all hawks and other birds of prey, which include eagles, osprey, falcons, owls and vultures. It is illegal to harm or kill them or to own any parts of their bodies, such as talons (claws), feathers or nests. Nonetheless, humans often target hawks as potential predators of chickens and other domestic fowl.

Red-Shouldered Hawk Looking Over Nest

At Dogwood, because the hawks nest so high in the tree and we do not always have the elevation to get above and look into the nest, it can be difficult to monitor the nest and look for chicks. The first year, we spotted a single chick. After that first year, every spring, a pair of red-shouldered hawks nests on the property. We believe it is the same pair but we have no way to confirm this. For several years the nests were in trees that gave us a better view of the nest and better photo opportunities. One year the hawks set-up housekeeping in the same nest as the year before, but they refurbished it the second year.

The early spring mating ritual of the red-shouldered hawks, which mate for life, is a sight to see and hear. It turns out that Dogwood Ranch is the perfect environment for these birds, which explains their return to the property to nest year after year. They nest high in mature deciduous trees, 50 or 60 feet off the ground. They prefer to nest on the forest’s edge, near a water source and near an open field. It is over the open field that the mating dance takes place.

When we hear the hawks calling each other in March or April, we know the dance of spring has is under way. The birds usually start calling in the morning not too long after sun-up. At times they sore out over the open field, circling above the field so high they are just tiny dots and we can barely hear their calls. This behavior goes on for several weeks. Once they quite down, we start looking for the tale tell sign pile of sticks and leaves high in a tree. This year, we heard the usual springtime calling and commotion but we have not found the nest.

We refer to the chick each year’s as “Junior”. So far, this pair of hawks seems to only produce one offspring a year. Watching Junior learn to flying is quite entertaining. The young birds take short erratic flights from tree to tree. Landing seems to be a difficult skill as they usually don’t land on the feet but rather on their belly with the legs and winds wrapped around a limb. One particularly wind day, we watch Junior fling himself from tree to tree. The wind was so strong that for a while he simply hugged a tree limb and called a pitiful cry for several hours. We never spotted the parents. That year, junior hung around the nest and property much longer than Juniors of prior years. We decided he was a mama’s-boy traumatized by that windy flying experience and was afraid to venture too far from the nest. Of course we have no way of knowing why he hung around so long after the parents had parted ways until the next mating season.

These amazing birds are such a sight to see and hear at Dogwood, no matter what we are doing when hear them call, we stop and look up in hopes of seeing them soar past.

Dogwood Ranch’s Namesake

Dogwood trees are a true joy on Dogwood Ranch. In fact, we were so impressed with the flowering dogwood trees; they inspired the name of the ranch.

There are two types of dogwood trees on the ranch-the impressive flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) and the less dramatic roughleaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii). Both are native to the area. When not in bloom, the best way to identify these trees is by the bark. The bark on the dogwood has little squares about the size of a thumbnail. Its branches splay out in planes or layers around the tree and after flowering in the spring, are covered with graceful delicate bright green leaves. When they are not in bloom, the best way to distinguish the roughleaf dogwood from the flowering dogwood is by gently rubbing your fingers on a leaf. The roughleaf dogwood, not surprisingly by its name, has a rough feel to them, especially on the topside of the leaf. The flowering dogwood leaves are smooth. During bloom, the flowering dogwood tree is completely covered in impressive white “blooms”, really bracets, while the roughleaf dogwood flowers with a simple cluster of blooms. Honey bees seem to love the roughleaf dogwood blooms.

Flowering dogwoods herald the welcome arrival of springtime at Dogwood Ranch when the trees burst into snow-white “bloom.” Flowering Dogwood blooms are many crowded, small, yellowish perfect flowers, borne in terminal clusters in the spring before the leaves appear, and surrounded by four snow-white, petal-like bracts 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) across and provide the spectacular display in the springtime. The snow-white bracets that are often referred to as “flowers” and provide the springtime show but they are not really flowers at all.

Both flowering and roughleaf dogwood is extremely valuable for wildlife because the seed, fruit, flowers, twigs, bark, and leaves are used as food by many birds and animals. The most distinguishing food quality of dogwood is its high calcium and fat content. Fruits are eaten by at least 36 species of birds, including ruffed grouse, bob-white quail, and wild turkey. Chipmunks, foxes, skunks, rabbits, deer, beaver, black bears, and squirrels, in addition to other mammals, also eat dogwood fruits. Foliage and twigs are heavily browsed by deer and rabbits.

Traditionally, virtually all the dogwood harvested was used in the manufacture of shuttles for textile weaving, but plastic shuttles have rapidly replaced this use. Small amounts of dogwood are still used for other items requiring hard, close-textured, smooth wood capable of withstanding rough use. Examples are spools, small pulleys, mallet-heads, jewelers' blocks, and turnpins for shaping the ends of lead pipes. On Dogwood Ranch, the dogwood trees are a source of peaceful beauty in spring when they bloom, in the summer with the delicate bright green leaves and in the fall with vibrant red leaves before the tree goes bare for the few short months of winter.

The roughleaf dogwood owes its species name (Cornus drummondii) to Thomas Drummond, (ca. 1790-1835), a naturalist, born in Scotland, around 1790. In 1830 he made a trip to America to collect specimens. In March, 1833, he arrived in Texas at Velasco. He spent twenty-one months collecting specimens between Galveston Island and the Edwards Plateau, especially along the Brazos, Colorado, and Guadalupe rivers. His collections were the first from Texas that were extensively distributed among the museums and scientific institutions of the world. He collected 750 species of plants and 150 specimens of birds. Drummond had hoped to make a complete botanical survey of Texas, but he died in Havana, Cuba, in 1835, while making a collecting tour of that island.

There are hundreds of dogwoods, both flowering and roughleaf, along the seasonal creek and back in the woods on Dogwood. Dogwood trees are understory trees, meaning they grow under the taller overstory larger trees in the woods and on the forest edge. The overstory woods on Dogwood Ranch consist of several varieties of oak, American elm, cedar elm, Texas pecan, black walnut and several other large trees making a canopy about 60 feet from the ground. Most of these trees have large trunks and we believe some are well over half a century old. Both types of dogwood trees grow under these taller trees along the seasonal creek.

On Dogwood Ranch, usually around March 18-March 30, the flowering dogwood trees burst out in bloom. They are gorgeous and the first sign, even before the oak trees put on leaves, that spring has sprung on Dogwood Ranch. About the same time, the Mexican plum trees bloom. The Mexican plum will be discussed in a later post. It is during this time that we host our famous, but not quite annual, Dogwood Blooming Party & Cajun Boil.

For more information about flowering and roughleaf dogwood as well as other native Texas flowers, check out the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center website http://www.wildflower.org/explore/. The United States Department of Agriculture also has an extensive online plant database at http://plants.usda.gov/.

Cubes Shaped Like Cylinders

Bull and cows did their jobs this year as we have quite a few calves to sell in the fall. So far, our expenses include the purchase of the herd, mending some fences, one major fence repair, installing a few metal gates, an electric fence, supplemental hay during the winter and early spring and some breeding cow “cubes.” Why they are called them cubes, I don’t know. Cubes are compressed nutritional food in a cylinder shape an inch and half long with about the circumference of my thumb. I think of cubes as the cow equivalent of dog biscuits and we use them the same way. Not so much as to reward for good behavior (I do not think cows are that smart) but for herd control purposes. If we want the herd to move to the pasture on the other side of gate, we used the cubes. One method is the put the cubes in a bucket and rattle the bucket. The cows know that sound and come running toward the bucket. Then, either toss the cubes in a line on the ground or have them already laid out on the ground where you want to cows to go. They head for the cubes on the ground while we exit the gate and close it. We’ve also learned to get out of the way fast after the cows realize cubes are available….they love them and come running! We buy the cubes from a real nice lady who runs a local feed and country store.

Cow-Calf Operation

Cows Grazing Among the Bluebonnets

Even though, according to the Blue Bell Ice Cream people, dairy cows think Brenham is Heaven, Dogwood Ranch operates a beef cow-calf cattle operation in our heaven-like pasture just outside of Brenham. This means we have a herd of beef cows and one bull suitable for breeding. Obviously, even to city folk, the bull’s job is to breed with each of the cows once a year. The resulting calves are then sold at auction. Although we owned part of Dogwood Ranch for several years, we did not own the primary parcel of land for the cattle business in until late 2009. Therefore, we are clear novices in the cattle business. Since we have not yet been through one full breeding, calving and auction cycle, we don’t really know what to expect as far as auction and sale price. We believe it will take us several years to re-coop the initial herd acquisition cost and expenses to date. Keep in mind; we are not counting the cost of the newly acquired land as a “ranch expense”, because we would have purchased it anyway whether or not we decided to run cattle on it.

Parallel Ranch Universes

Parallel Ranch Universes? Those who follow cutting-edge theories of modern physics (or sci-fi) are familiar with the idea of parallel universes. For real scientific information about the theories of parallel universes or multi-verses, visit Stephen Hawking's site http://www.hawking.org.uk/ or Dr. Michio Kaku's site http://mkaku.org/home/?s=parallel+universes or http://bigthink.com/ideas/20340. The topic is way over my head, but I nonetheless like the loose analogy of parallel universes to describe Dogwood Ranch activities.

Dogwood Ranch consists of two parallel “ranch universes” both operating side-by-side, mostly parallel to each other, but sometimes they overlap or collide. The first universe is the cattle ranch universe, which is just what it sounds like, running cattle on the land for an agricultural purpose. Running parallel with the cattle ranch universe is the land stewardship or conservation ranch universe. In this universe, we concentrate on recreation and restoring much the land back to its natural state. We are trying to improve the wildlife habitats and encourage native grasses. This is a Reborn to the Land activity. (see post dated July 12, 2010). The two ranch universes, or activities, co-exist in space and time, i.e., on the same piece of property in Texas at the same time. Okay, that’s enough of the esoteric physics analogies for now.

Dogwood Ranch has a cattle operation and a wildlife/native grass operation. In some sense, these two parallel activities seem incompatible but so far, both endeavors are working well together

Landowner Profile Descriptions

Ms. Sanders’ thesis is a better source for this information, but a brief description of each landowner profile is below.

BORN TO THE LAND folks have a strong connection to the land. Think of these owners as those who have grown-up on the property, still live on the land and have activity worked the land most of their life. They speak of generations that farmed or ranched the land before them and have a sentimental attachment to that particular piece of property. They generate at least some of their livelihood from the land. Although Born to the Land owners feel a sense of responsibility for the land and want to care for it to benefit future generations, they are less willing to make the sacrifices to transition to a wildlife conservation operation. Generally, this group disapproves of government interference in their land management, but economics often necessitates accessing government programs for financial assistance.

AG BUISINESS landowners do not feel a strong personal connection to the land and are much more open to selling their land than the other two groups. More connected to their business operation than to the land, they have little sentimental attachment to a particular piece of property. Most of the folks in this category come from successful business backgrounds and focus on creating a profitable agricultural business. They are willing to initiate wildlife conservation activities if they can profit from doing so. This group is least likely to participate in government programs or subsidies. These owners have similar values about government programs as the Born to the Land group but are different in that they have the financial resources to achieve their goals on the land without government assistance.

REBORN TO THE LAND owners show a strong connection to the land. This group consists mostly of people with a successful business background but have not actively worked the land most of their life. Unlike the Ag Business group, Reborn to the Land property owners focus on the land for recreation, getting back to their roots and the aesthetic value of the land. There is a strong sense of stewardship, or responsibility, to take care of the land. These landowners worry less about making a profit but rather focus on personal satisfaction. A trait that distinguishes this group form the other two is the acknowledged need for information. They seek information from just about any source, including federal agencies, local agencies, neighbors and local businesses, such as the local feed storeowner, dozer operators and others. This group expresses a passion for doing “what is right” on the property and is willing to listen to others with more experience. Reborn to the Land owners are more willing to initiate wildlife conservation activities even if they will not financially profit from it. They are more interested in technical assistance from government agencies than financial programs.

The purpose in providing landowner profiles for this discussion is so that when I describe certain activities at Dogwood Ranch, someone may ask: “Why would anyone do that?” or “Why do it that way when there is an easier, faster or cheaper way to do it?” The answer will often be the same: Because I am a Reborn to the Land property owner.

Landowner Profiles

“Re-Born to the Land”. That is my landownership profile.

Several years ago, maybe 2005, Texas A&M graduate student, Jennifer Clearley Sanders, gave a wonderful presentation about landowners’ relationship with the land. Sanders presented to a landowners’ educational weekend seminar in Brenham. Her presentation has stuck in my mind as one of her categories of landowners described us so well (for future reference, when I say “we” or “us” it is not the royal We or US but rather “we” or “us” as in my spouse and me). One stated objective of Sanders’ research was to determine if there are differences between “traditional” landowners and “newer” landowners in their attitudes about the land. Okay, I’m “newer” landowner.

After conducting interviews with Texas landowners, Sanders place landowners into one of three general landowner profiles, which describe the landowners’ relationship with the land: 1) Born to the Land; 2) Ag-Business; and, 3) Re-Born to the Land. (I recall from her talk a category “New to the Land”, but her literature uses the three above so, let’s go with them). When she described the folks in the Re-Born to the Land profile, it was as if she secretly spied on our activities at Dogwood Ranch! However, I note with dismay that this category of landowner is, to some degree, vilified by the Born to the Land landowners. In order to understand the mindset and spirit of Dogwood Ranch activities, a brief description of Sanders’ landowner profiles will be helpful. If you are truly interested in Sanders’ research, I recommend reading her master’s thesis paper; here is the link.

http://repository.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/2412/etd-tamu-2005A-WFSC-sanders.pdf?sequence=1

Speaking from the Ranch........

I'm sitting out on the front porch of the ranch house (virtual front porch as we haven't built the house yet) on Dogwood Ranch, located a few miles outside of Brenham, Texas. For those who have eaten Blue Bell ice cream from “The Little Creamery in Brenham”, you know that the cows think Brenham is Heaven. Most of the time, I agree. I’ll get into that later.

Dogwood Ranch is certainly a refuge from the long frantic work-week life in the big city and its only sixty miles from our driveway in Houston. As I sit on the porch, I’ll just chat at bit. Go ahead and pour yourself a nice steaming cup of ranch house coffee, a frosty mug of beer or other refreshing beverage of your choosing and relax in the wooden rock’n chair next to me for little awhile.