Grazing

The hot, dry Arkansas summer last year affected cattle farmers across Arkansas. But thanks to USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Illinois River Sub-Basin and Eucha-Spavinaw Lake Watershed Initiative, Craig and Jay Oliphnant’s operation has been able to effectively weather the drought.

With the high price of hay this past winter, many cow-calf operators were scrambling for ways to reduce their winter feeding costs.

The effects of last summer’s drought are still reverberating on the nation’s cattle. Cowherds are down, and many have moved from their homelands to other locations or were sold off.

Cattle that graze on rangelands in the western U.S. may soon have a new forage option, thanks to work by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist.

In the U.S., 65.8 percent of beef calves are born between January and April, based on USDA survey data.This requires intense nutritional management of cows at times of highest nutrient requirements (late gestation and early lactation).

There are several misconceptions regarding what is meant by the carrying capacity of a ranch or pasture.Disagreement concerning carrying capacity not uncommonly leads to litigation in ranching country, and I have professionally been involved in some of these disputes.