Marshall Wheat Pasture Research Unit

In 1989, the department established the Expanded Wheat Pasture Research Unit with major assistance from a special grant from CSRS-USDA. This is a unique resource unlike any other in the country.

The unit consists of 385 acres of wheat pasture, 100 acres of cool-season perennial grasses and two native grass pastures near Marshall (30 miles west of Stillwater). The area is leased from landowners and can be managed as 18 to 20 wheat pastures that allow for replication of experimental treatments. It is equipped with a Mesonet weather station, cattle receiving, handling and weighing facilities and feed storage areas. Approximately 250 steers are grazed each winter from November to April. The unit is managed by the Department of Animal Science but also hosts wheat breeding plots from the Department of Plant and Soil Science.

A typical experiment would involve grazing steers beginning at 500 lb in 18 pastures at a stocking rate of approximately 1.6 acres per steer. This would begin in the middle of November and continue through mid-February. At that point, the pastures would be reconfigured so that 1/3 of the original acreage is grazed through the end of April. The other 2/3 of the acreage is ungrazed and the wheat crop is harvested by the landowner. Steers would typically gain 2.5 lb per day for the entire grazing season (approx. 140 days). We have considerable flexibility in pasture arrangement as all internal fences are electric. Typical research procedures involve weighing cattle individually every 28 to 56 days, feeding different supplements, and monitoring forage production. We have capacity and experience to do additional intensive research procedures including, rumen cannulation, blood collection, etc. and we have experience in FDA GLP procedures. Day-to-day husbandry activities include receiving and shipping cattle, daily observations of cattle and pastures, maintenance, etc.

Personnel at the unit include a full-time herdsman and one or two undergraduate students, along with support from graduate students.

Unique research capacity includes a GreenFeed unit for measuring methane emissions of grazing cattle, and SmartFeed Pro units to implement precision supplementation treatments.