In considering the production of livestock, ranchers are being forced to deal with rapidly rising input cost.  Feed, fuel and fertilizers are all at record highs.  In an effort to provide leadership to area agriculturists dealing with these economic challenges, the Agriculture Division at Eastern Oklahoma State College is converting to a new forage management strategy to reduce cost associated with fuel, feed, fertilizer, and labor.  The new system concentrates on the one agriculture input which is, and always will be, free, the sun. 

Through the process of photosynthesis plants have the ability to absorb sunlight (radiant energy) and convert it into chemical energy.  Once a person realizes the leaf of a grass plant, and all other green plants, is actually a solar collector absorbing energy from the sun and converting it into an energy form ruminant animals can utilize, the livestock producer has identified the most valuable, and the only free input, sunlight!

Cattle, and all other ruminant animals, possess a unique digestive system which enables this class of livestock to consume diets high in roughage and convert the chemical energy in the plants into an animal protein consumable by humans.  The sun, green plants and ruminant animals have been carrying on this process, and surviving, since the beginning of time.  We, as livestock producers, are responsible for adding fossil fuels, supplemental feeds and commercial fertilizers.  With these understandings Eastern is pursuing the opportunity to reduce input costs by concentrating its management strategies to maximize the value of the forages nature has provided. 

Eastern’s beef cattle operation faces the same challenges other ranchers in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas face.  Soils are low in pH (4.5 to 5.5) and very low in natural fertility (nitrogen as low as seven pounds per acre and phosphate often measuring below five pounds per acre).  Forages include native grasses, but the vast majority consists of tall fescue and bermudagrass (ranging from fair to poor condition) and a seemingly endless inventory of weeds.

To maximize the use of solar energy Eastern has intensified rotational grazing practices on the twenty individual pastures which range in size from ten to one hundred twenty acres.  Multiple pastures provided the flexibility to concentrate the pasture rotation schedule while increasing the number of animals grazing an individual field.  Grazing time is regulated by the amount of forage available and climatic conditions.

Multiple benefits of the new grazing system are already being realized.  With higher stocking rates cattle have been less selective in their grazing habits and are consuming several plant species usually identified as “weeds”.  When the cattle are rotated to the next pasture overgrazing is prevented and the recently grazed field is rested allowing plants the opportunity to re-grow.  Preventing overgrazing and allowing adequate time for the plants to recuperate improves plant vigor and decreases the opportunity for invader plants to increase in population.

Depending on need, once the forages have re-grown the pasture may be grazed again, hayed, or utilized as standing forage during the fall.  By utilizing dormant grasses Eastern reduced the number of days hay was feed last winter by 45 days.  Having to provide less hay has allowed a reduction in the use of diesel and the amount of time being spent baling and feeding hay. 

Additional subdivision of fields are planned in the future to allow more efficient use of forage and provide the opportunity to increase the number of cattle utilized on the college farm.

We welcome visitors to view our cattle and forage production operation and encourage you to make plans to attend a Grazing Conference Eastern hosts every year.

While Eastern improves the utilization of forage to reduce the over-all expense of raising cattle, being in a position to provide winter forage in the form of hay to respond to adverse weather or a shortage of grass resulting from a dry fall is essential.

Eastern maintains its own haying equipment and bales excess forage during the summer to assure the availability of 1,000 round bales for use as needed during the winter months.