BoRo said:
I live in north east Texas. I have heard that cattle can't be brought here from west Texas. I was told that the mineral and grass was so much stronger in the west that the cattle would not adapt. Here is my question. Can cattle be moved all over the US with out a problem?
Drier areas (with lower rainfall totals) produce grazing that is higher in protein & minerals. But there is less of it and more area is needed per animal. The reason being that rain leeches nitrogen through the soil and out into runoffs, as is the case in the southeast and other 'wet" areas.
A higher nitrogen content in plants, which is taken up mostly through the soil, means faster "top growth", which does so at the expense of the roots. The weaker a root system, the less the mineral uptake in the plant.
The downside of less protein, and less growth, is the amount of distance cattle must walk and expend energy in finding suitable grazing.
Cattle are adaptable to geographic moves. Takes some longer than others.