This diagram illustrates the basic interconnection between soil, forages, animals, and weather in livestock production.

This is a presentation by David Sparks, D.V.M., from the 2008 Future Farms conference. It makes an economic case for adding goats to existing cattle operations, and addresses diet, predator control, fencing, and parasite management.

This is a book chapter, used in the livestock track of the Oklahoma Beginning Farmer & Rancher Program, that discusses how to set stocking rates. It includes a discussion of seasonal carrying capacity and grazing-period stock density.

This presentation by Will Lathrop, from the Oklahoma Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program, discusses the general principles of extending the grazing season with cool-season and stockpiled forages. It includes early results from an ongoing grazing study at the Kerr Ranch that compares the costs of grazing winter wheat versus feeding hay.

This presentation by Chris Rice, from the Oklahoma Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program, discusses the management of forage for grazing animals on the small acreages typical of many Oklahoma farms. It uses the example of “Old McDaniel’s farm” to illustrate considerations a new rancher (or an existing rancher on newly acquired land) would face when…