Camp David Pecans

06/05/2026

We have a winner! Nelliot of Navasota wins "Favorite Shade Tree" in the orchard for the miniature Herefords to sleep (and do their business) under. Congratulations Nelliot of Navasota! , , , , , , ,

06/05/2026

Having gentle cattle is paramount. When hand feeding, making them reach up for their treats mimics the dominance a cow has over her calf when nursing. It is important to have dominance over cattle in a quiet and calm manner. Having cattle reach up for their treats helps establish dominance while developing trust. , , , , , ,

06/03/2026

Nothing like going to the spa after breakfast. Diesel was the last of the four miniature Herefords to allow brushing WHILE eating from the hand. Now he doesn't even need food in front of him to get brushed. For silvopasture with Nofence USA virtual collars for adaptive grazing, we will need to be able to adjust their collars in open paddocks as they grow. , , , , , , , ,

06/02/2026

Honeybee swarm box covered in less than 10 hours. This is one STRONG swarm. , , , , , ,

06/02/2026

Honeybee swarm box occupied!
, , , ,

05/22/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1CzPM5hV2z/
If I have spoken to you for more than 1 minute, then I have told you about Noble Research Institute and their Pecan Producers Research Project that we are involved in. Check them out if you want to know what regenerative agriculture is all about and the great research they are conducting.

05/19/2026

Hand feeding miniature Herefords calves to get them use to us as their new people. The next step is feeding them with one hand while rubbing the side of their face and under their chin with the other hand so they get use to our touch. After that, comes reintroducing them to their halters and leading them, to progress to their Nofence USA virtual collar training. Ranchers with mature cattle will run them through a squeeze in order to fit the collars. With our steers still growing rapidly, we will need to examine and adjust their collars monthly. Our challenge will be putting their halters on in the open field of our orchard in order to have them hold still while we adjust their virtual collars since the squeeze will not be available in every paddock. Slow is study and study is fast. , , , , , ,

05/19/2026

I highly recommend Noble Orchard Essentials course. I wish I could have acquired the knowledge presented in the course when we first started our pecan orchard.

Noble Orchard Essentials is a 3-day, hands-on, in-person course that gives you practical tools to assess and improve the health of your soil and perennials plants. Note: Past Noble Land Essentials participants will recognize the foundational concepts in this course, with additional instruction focused on perennial systems.

05/16/2026

Silvopasture shade grazing in action. Great example of cattle enjoying tree shade while grazing when it is hot. The shade of the tree moves as the sun position changes, consequently the grazing pattern changes throughout the day.

05/16/2026

Dung Beetle working fast to finish rolling the remains of a bovine manure pile. I think this is an Emerald Dung Beetle. If you know for sure, let me know. , , , , ,