The Lost Rider Podcast with Herman Brune

Farm Bureau Director Greg Buenger provides update information concerning screw worms found in Texas.

Presently, 100 million sterilized larvae are flown from Panama and dispersed weekly. Buenger says that 500 million were dispersed weekly during the epidemic in the 1960's.

A Texas facility to produce sterilized flies should be ready near the end of 2027. A Mexico facility is also being built. Buenger also says that his experience with injectable Ivermectin should be a reasonable fly deterrent.

Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon everyone to keep a watchful eye on all livestock and pets. Screw worm flies lay their eggs in open wounds and the larvae are flesh-eating. Please give this your utmost attention.

In a rare departure from issue related topics, Brune and Troy Fowler talk about the simplicities of knowing your archery equipment. Both gentlemen have experience hunting Big Game and guiding archery hunters. Fowler reiterates the importance of matching arrow and broadhead weights to game that's being hunted. Much like a person upgrades from a 270, 308, or 30.06 with whitetails - to a 300 Win Mag for elk, a hunter must consider upgrading and trading speed for energy when hunting with a bow and arrow. 

The Lost Rider Podcast featuring Aaron Weishuhn

This episode of The Lost Rider Podcast features host Herman Brune sitting down with Aaron Weishuhn, the manager of the Colorado County Groundwater Conservation District (GCD). The two discuss the pressing realities of water management, local conservation efforts, and the political and environmental battles over Texas water resources.

Key Topics Discussed:

• History of the GCD: The Colorado County GCD was established around 2009 to ensure local citizens maintained a voice in their water management, rather than ceding complete control to state mandates.

• Current Drought Conditions: Colorado County has been operating under a drought warning since March following a dry fall and winter, marking the first step toward potential mandatory water cutbacks.

• Permitted Water Users: If drought conditions worsen, mandatory cutbacks would primarily affect permitted users with large-scale operations, such as high-production agricultural irrigation and major commercial wells, rather than exempt domestic or livestock wells.

• Aquifer Recharge and Dynamics: The conversation details the three layers of the Gulf Coast Aquifer system—the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers—and how the Colorado River interacts with these groundwater sources depending on the region.

• Proposed LCRA Reservoir: A major point of concern is the Lower Colorado River Authority's (LCRA) proposed off-channel reservoir in Colorado County, which includes a conceptual transmission pipeline designed to transport surplus water back to Austin and Travis County.

• Environmental and Economic Concerns: Weishuhn outlines the potential negative impacts of the LCRA project, including the removal of water from the local ecosystem, the threat to the Matagorda Bay system, and the risk of devaluing local property and tax bases.

• Shifting Stream Behaviors: The episode highlights a concerning ecological shift where local creeks and streams, which historically gained water from natural springs and aquifers, are now losing water into the depleted aquifers.

Dana Tassa is the representative for Women Hunt at Derek York's Podcast Summit. She is from Vancouver, British Columbia, and this is her first trip to Texas.  Dana elaborates how the Women Hunt organization is an off-shoot of the Wild Sheep Foundation, how she found the group, and what she does for them on social media. We learn a little of her background and gain insights into how Women Hunt help ladies find and enjoy the outdoors. 

"Heroes on the Water" is an organization helping veterans and first responders heal. Camille Knowles tells us that putting folks in a kayak and sending them fishing has undeniable health benefits. The non-profit provides the experience and opportunity that aides people accustomed to the most stressful jobs to relax. "Often our participants come to us quiet and reserved. By the end of a weekend they have loosened up and are having fun."