Eddie Baggs

Texas leads the nation in cattle production, with 150 thousand operations supporting 15.5 million head of cattle — almost as many as the total cattle population of Canada at 15.7 million head.

Now, this bodes well for Texas — and after all, everything is bigger in the Lone Star State — but when we look closer at the agricultural statistics, we see another side to this production story.

Out of these 150,000 cattle operations, 105,000 are supporting only one to 49 head of cattle and only 22,000 have 50 to 99 head. These small operations account for almost 25 percent of the total cattle inventory of the state.

The number of smaller production units is rising and has an impact on all areas of agriculture. Almost every city and town in Texas is surrounded by a multitude of small tracts of land — between 5 and 100 acres — owned by individuals who work in the city but use the land as their primary or weekend residence.

Collectively, these small acreage landowners account for thousands of acres. As land values rise, fewer producers can afford to farm large sections of land. Large sections are broken up into smaller plots and sold at higher prices; some are kept in production agriculture and continue to contribute to the economic base.

Individuals farm these smaller-acreage tracts for different reasons: business, occupation, lifestyle, recreation or for the agricultural land tax evaluation. Regardless of the reason, if you are a landowner, you are a manager. Not all land management ventures are successful; it takes proper planning and goal setting.

An agriculture land manager also needs to be knowledgeable in many areas, including natural resource conservation, animal and forage management, marketing, and risk management. With the rise in small-acreage ownership combined with the ever-changing agriculture industry, these land managers will be challenged to stay productive and maintain conservation ethics, while enjoying the benefits of working the land.

The Denton County Extension Beef, Crops and Forages Committee in conjunction with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service is offering a five-class series, “Agriculture 101 for Small Landowners,” in September and October at the Denton County extension office.

The series will cover the basics of agriculture and how to maintain agriculture tax evaluation status, weed and brush control, forage management and stocking rates, soil sampling, and pond management.

Cost to attend is $30, and registration is due Sept. 10. For more information or to enroll, call 940-349-2880 or e-mail pamela.hill@dentoncounty.com.

EDDIE BAGGS, extension agent with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Denton County, can be reached at 940-349-2880.