Resources

Raising Livestock

Aquaculture and Pond/Stream Management

Pond-raised Prawns (packet)
This packet contains information on raising freshwater shrimp (prawns) in the earth ponds common on Oklahoma farms and ranches. The handouts and informational resources contained in the packet were used at Jeremy Eaton's September 2009 field day. Eaton received a 2007 Oklahoma Producer Grant to demonstrate the feasibility of raising shrimp in farm ponds as an additional income source for Oklahoma farmers.

Riparian Area Management Techniques

Pond Management Resources

Cattle

Breed & Animal Selection

Genetics for Grazing
(presentation – Mary Penick, April 2011)

Growing Cows for Grass
2011 - Mary Penick

Past Meets Future: Pineywoods Cattle at the Kerr Center (Field Notes, Fall 2007)

Nutrition & Health

Basic Nutrition & Winter Grazing

Beef Cattle Health Assessment
(presentations and handouts – David Sparks, D.V.M.)

Birthing Kit
(OKBFRP handout – April 2012)

Body Condition Scoring of Beef Cows (OCES ANSI-3283)

Compensatory Gain in Cattle (r) by Brian Freking, Will Lathrop, Elise Mitchell and David Redhage. Evaluation of reproduction and calf performance of beef heifers under management with and without compensatory gain.

Multi-species Grazing (Cattle and Goat) Field Day 2010
Forty people from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas attended the Kerr Center’s multi-species grazing field day, hosted by Dr. Dave Sparks and his wife Linda, on Saturday, May 8, 2010 at their farm near Porum, OK.

Herd Health Overview
(OKBFRP presentation - Dave Sparks, D.V.M., April 2012)

Holistic Approach to Animal Health and Well-Being
(report – Ann Wells, D.V.M., April 2011)

Fencing

Electric Fencing FAQ (fact sheet)

Electric Fencing Videos
How to attach insulators, tie flexible end loops, splice wires, and more

Fencing Cost Comparison (fact sheet)

Electric Fencing for Serious Grazers

General

Heifer Management (r) by Brian Freking. Heifer selection and nutrition, early puberty, target weight concept, proper feeding, breeding, calving difficulty and bull selection.

Soil Health and How It Relates to Healthy Cattle
(Video, presentation, and handouts – Ray Archuleta, USDA-NRCS, Spring 2011)

Kerr Center Workshop:
Healthy Soils, Healthy Livestock 2011
Over fifty people from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kansas attended the Kerr Center’s “Healthy Soils, Healthy Livestock” grazing workshop on Friday and Saturday, April 8-9, 2011. Complete presentations and materials are available online. Topics include soil health, animal health, grazing systems, and pasture management.

ATTRA Resources on Sustainable/Organic Beef Production

Forages

Forage Assessment Tools

Brush Control with Goats
(report by Elise Mitchell)

Brush Control with Goats
(report by Elise Mitchell)

Cowboy Arithmetic (how to estimate grass/forage in rotational grazing systems)
(fact sheet – Ann Wells, D.V.M., April 2011)

Enough Grass to Make Your Head… Rotate: The Keys to Rotational Grazing
(Field Notes, Summer 2005 - basics of rotational grazing)

“Grass” and Grazing
(OKBFRP presentation – Ron Morrow, February 2012)

Extending Grazing and Reducing Stored Feed Needs

A Falling Plate Meter for Estimating Pasture Forage Mass
(fact sheet)

Forage Assessment Videos (2012)
            Overview: How the Kerr Center evaluates forage composition in its pastures
            Forage ID: identification of some common forage plants on the Kerr Ranch

Hay, Fertility and Profit
(report – Chris Agee – 2011)

Grazier's Arithmetic

Layout & Design of Grazing Systems

Management Intensive Grazing

Management Intensive Grazing fact sheet

Multi-Species Grazing in Oklahoma
(Dave Sparks, D.V.M., Future Farms 2008)

Multi-species Grazing (Cattle and Goat) Field Day 2010
Forty people from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas attended the Kerr Center’s multi-species grazing field day, hosted by Dr. Dave Sparks and his wife Linda, on Saturday, May 8, 2010 at their farm near Porum, OK.

OKBFRP Demonstration Site Grazing Wedge

Pasture Legumes: Establishment and Management
(fact sheet – Chris Agee)

Pasture Monitoring and Management
(Rebecca Baril, Future Farms 2008)

A Profitable, Sustainable Ranch
(Walt Davis, Future Farms 2000)

ATTRA Resources on Sustainable/Organic Pasture & Forage Management

Marketing

How to Direct Market Your Beef

Soils

On-Farm Mortality Composting of Livestock Carcasses
(OCES Fact Sheet BAE-1749)

Soil Health and How It Relates to Healthy Cattle
(Video, presentation, and handouts – Ray Archuleta, USDA-NRCS, Spring 2011)

Soil Sampling and Analysis
(OKBFRP presentation – Brian Freking, OCES, February 2012)

Sustainable Livestock Production Circle
(OKBFRP handout – February 2012)

Healthy Soils, Healthy Livestock 2011
Over fifty people from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kansas attended the Kerr Center’s “Healthy Soils, Healthy Livestock” grazing workshop on Friday and Saturday, April 8-9, 2011. Complete presentations and materials are available online. Topics include soil health, animal health, grazing systems, and pasture management.

Watering

Protecting Water Quality While Healing Erosion Caused by Livestock Trails (in-paddock watering system; Oklahoma Producer Grant Fact Sheet - Kim Barker, 1998)

New Use for Old Tires
(fact sheet by Will Lathrop/Brian Freking)

Water Systems
(Brian Freking, LeFlore County Extension Educator – Agriculture)

Solar-Powered Livestock Watering Systems

Watering Systems for Serious Grazers

Goats

Commercial Meat Goat Field Day (2011)

Multi-species Grazing (Cattle and Goat) Field Day 2010
Forty people from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas attended the Kerr Center’s multi-species grazing field day, hosted by Dr. Dave Sparks and his wife Linda, on Saturday, May 8, 2010 at their farm near Porum, OK.
Information and resources »

Birthing Kit
(OKBFRP handout – April 2012)

Brush Control with Goats (r) by Elise Mitchell

Brush Control with Goats

2007 Commercial Meat Goat Forage Performance (Buck) Test Report
by Mary Penick, with Brian Freking and C.K. Rice (June 2009)

2008 Commercial Meat Goat Forage Performance (Buck) Test Report
by Mary Penick (June 2009)

2009 Commercial Meat Goat Forage Performance (Buck) Test Report
by Mary Penick, with Brian Freking (July 2010)

2010 Commercial Meat Goat Forage Performance (Buck) Test Report
by Mary Penick (January 2011)

2011 Oklahoma Forage-Based Buck Test Report
by Mary Penick

2012 Oklahoma Forage-Based Buck Test Report
by Erin Campbell-Craven

Oklahoma Forage-Based Buck Test Summary Report: First Five Years (2007 - 2011)
by Mary Penick

Goat Health Materials List

Kidding Overview
(OKBFRP presentation – Erin Campbell-Craven, April 2012)

Brush Control with Goats (r) by Elise Mitchell

Meat Goats in Oklahoma (Field Notes, Summer 2009)

ATTRA Resources on Sustainable/Organic Sheep & Goat Production

Poultry

Farm Made: A Guide to On-Farm Processing for Organic Producers
This report provides an overview of the general requirements for organic certification and for food processing facilities, followed by a discussion of four different on-farm enterprises, including table eggs.

Growing Your Range Poultry Business: An Entrepreneur's Toolbox

Pastured Poultry: Raising Chickens in a Grass-Based System

Raising Poultry on Forage
(report by Kerr Center intern Cortney Loyd)

Chicken Tractor: Construction Plans (2012)

The Kerr Center Chicken Tractor 1.0: Description and Parts List (2010)

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