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Prickly pear can quickly take over a pasture, robbing water and nutrients from desirable grasses and other plants. Prickly pear reduces the production of agricultural land and can be harmful to livestock and wildlife if spines are ingested. Joycesarah McCabe | Dispatch Record
According to W.H.
Dameron and H.P. Smith, in their report “Prickly Pear Eradication and Control” published by Texas A&M University, singed prickly pear was used as an “emergency feed during adverse range conditions since the beginning of the livestock industry in the Southwest.” Even though some animals had become “chronic pear-eaters,” the losses were sustainable until “the ranges were…