Ground Squirrel and Prairie Dog Solutions

The Burrow Blocker marketing team consists of me. That means I am the crazy person always taking pictures of ground squirrels and holes. Those darn squirrels are everywhere until I click to take a picture. Often, I'll pull over next to a field overrun by ground squirrels. They are busy chasing each other and racing all over the field. As soon as I look through my camera lens, they disappear into their holes!  It's much easier to just take photos of their numerous holes. The problem with that is that it's tough to make a photo of a hole interesting. That's why I often have pictures of dogs, horses or kids next to the holes. They are much more photogenic and usually more cooperative. Speaking of cooperation...in preparation for the World Ag Expo , I needed to design some new posters for our booth. Last Friday, was a lovely clear day at the ranch and my plan was to get some photos of the horses in the pasture. No matter what I did to get their attention, Casino and Wi...

Is the grass starting to come up in your area? We finally got some rain and now our animals have something to eat in the pasture. Every morning, our horses, miniature donkeys, llamas and sheep all wait anxiously to run, play and graze. With the high hay prices, it's essential to have a safe and healthy pasture for grazing. Before the grass gets too high, it's a good time to do a safety check. If you have horses, be sure to be on the look out for Yellow Starthistle. It doesn't take much for it to take over a field and it is very poisonous to horses. Starthistle causes nigropallidal encephalomalacia, also known as chewing disease. Only horses are known to be affected by this fatal nervous disorder, so make sure your pasture is free of Yellow Starthistle. For more information visit UC Davis' IPM site: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7402.html While you are out there checking on what's starting to grow in your pasture, be sure to watch out ...