protecting young trees during fly season

[Brett Chedzoy]

As we get ready to move our 5 bulls from the "bull pen" pastures this weekend off to their respective breeding groups and other parts of the farm, I'm reminded that we're currently at the height of fly season and bulls appreciate the opportunity to use young trees for scratching posts.  Just because the cows may not cause excessive harm to young, desirable trees doesn't mean that bulls won't.  Case in point in the picture below from our ranch in Argentina.  These pines were ~ 5 years old and 10-15 feet tall when one of our bulls decided he was going to show off for the ladies.  As a result, we now have some not-so-straight pines scattered around the silvopastures.

The culprit (Mr. Bull)...

Note: just because this is the Southern Hemisphere doesn't mean the results would be much different in the Northern Hemisphere!

[Jim Medeiros]

Brett,

I am pretty sure in the northern hemisphere the trees would have been bent in the opposite direction. 

[Brett Chedzoy]

I snapped this picture last evening of two of our bulls here rubbing off some winter fuzz on a dead larch tree, and it reminded me of this old post on the importance of recognizing the potential for certain animals to cause more damage than others when grazing amongst vulnerable trees.