Land Management on the V3C

The Vertically Challenged Cattle Company is located along the Trinidad Creek in Jim Wells County, Texas. The property is surrounded by large land owners that are primarily interested in wildlife and cattle ranching. Many species of wildlife call the V3C home including: Bobwhite Quail, Rio Grande Turkeys, White-tailed Deer, diverse raptors, songbirds, Texas Indigo Snakes, Texas Horned Lizards, etc.

The primary land management goal on the V3C is to improve wildlife habitat for grassland birds through native prairie restoration. To achieve this goal we have implemented a patch-burning plan that is on a three-year rotation, meaning that 1/3 of the property will burn every three years (excluding the Trinidad Creek drainage). After each set of burns, areas that have been damaged by feral hogs are repaired via disking or back dragging with the tractor and native grass seed is hand sewn.

In addition to prescribed burning we engage in Individual Plant Treatment (IPT) using herbicides on problem plants (mesquite, huisache, old man's beard, cocklebur, silverleaf nightshade, etc.).

Multiple wildlife feeders are setup around the property to attract quail, turkeys and songbirds.

One problem that occurs on ranches that are primarily managed for wildlife is that grass cover will become too thick for quail and other grassland species. As a result, livestock grazing is a necessary part of wildlife management. Due to the small size of the property we felt that miniature livestock would be best since they require much less forage that traditional beef cattle, which is ideal for small acreage. We decided to get into miniature longhorns because of their size, hardiness to extreme South Texas temperatures and their historical significance to the region. Yes, we are Aggies but these are miniature longhorns...

Click here to read about the V3C owners (Eric & Anna Redeker)