Montesino Ranch
A modern multi-use operation.
The Montesino Ranch not only borders the Blanco River, it also sits just outside of Wimberley, Texas, a popular destination for tourists. Montesino is a small 225 acre ranch that thrives via a multi-enterprise management approach. Income enterprises include weddings, B&B studio rentals, a small organic vegetable farm, and a herd of miniature Hereford Cattle.
A beautiful setting for a wedding reception. Montesino hosts approximately ten weddings per year. This enterprises contributes significantly to the operation's bottom line.
Location of Montesino Ranch
What is cuter than miniature hereford calf minutes after birth?
A Perfect Fit
The livestock enterprise is composed of a herd of 15 miniature Hereford cattle. They are a good match for Montesino due to the size of the ranch. They are intriguing to curious tourists and they consume less forage than an average 1000 lb cow. They also convert well to packaged beef that is sold directly to consumers.
Bill Carr, renowned Texas botanist, identifies plant species at Montesino Ranch with a curious bystander looking on.
Unintended Consequences
An orphaned fawn that has been cared for by Montesino staff is now tame and hoping for a handout as we set up transects and collect baseline data. Currently, Montesino pastures are mostly King Ranch Bluestem - introduced from Europe and Asia in the 1920s as a desirable species for erosion control. Being drought resistant, it quickly established itself. It is now considered highly invasive and seriously threatens the abundance and diversity of native flora and fauna species throughout many parts of Texas and beyond. Additionally, it is only palatable and nutritious to cattle for a short period of its growing cycle. We will carefully monitor the two transects we have set up to see how different management treatments, such as mowing before seed heads develop and soil amendments, affect its presence in the fields.
This is a picture of the east pasture, which is heavy invaded with KR Bluestem, which will not receive soil amendments.
Two Sides of the Same Pasture
The management plan includes treatment of the west side of the pasture with natural soil amendments, such as compost tea, to see what changes may occur with vegetation and soil microbes. Currently, both sides are similar, so measuring the changes will help us understand the value of natural soil amendments to improve pasture health. The grazing periods for both pastures range from 7 - 10 days and occur up to three times per year depending on the weather and time needed for forage recovery.
