During the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association’s Annual Convention and Trade Show, Farm Director KC Sheperd had the chance to visit with Oklahoma Conservation Commission Soil Health Educator, Blane Stacy about soil health practices before and after moisture.
As the state has received some good rains throughout the month of July, Stacy first talked about how to best keep that moisture in the soil. Practicing good soil health management before it rains, Stacy said, is the key.
“Everybody that had a good grazing management plan, it seems like they are reaping the benefits,” Stacy said. “They are getting a massive amount of growth out of their forage. The cattle market is going crazy right now, so those who really took care of their grass are reaping the rewards.”
Now that grass is growing well in parts of the state, Stacy said he recommends implementing a grazing system if you haven’t already.
“We mimic how the buffalo grazed across the prairie,” Stacy said. “Buffalo, they graze in a small area for a short time and then move away, and that grass would get a recovery period, so we are just trying to mimic that in a smaller area.”
Stacy said the folks at the OCC would be happy to visit with producers who are interested in implementing a grazing management system on their property.
“We recommend everybody visit their local conservation district office,” Stacy said. “We believe the locally-led conservation is the bread and butter of our division, so they will get you lined out with the information that you need to get started, and they may even have some cost-share programs available to get started.”
As hotter temperatures are on the horizon, Stacy said allowing more grass and forage to grow will help to keep the temperature of the soil cool.
“It is basically like mother nature’s air conditioner,” Stacy said. “When you start overgrazing, that bare soil heats up more quickly and retains heat for a longer period of time, and if you are like me, I don’t want to go lay out on concrete in the middle of July, and our cows don’t either.”
