Richard Mifflin Kleberg, Jr. Lectureship on Grazing Management

• Summary

  Presentations will be simultaneously delivered in-person and online via a Zoom Webinar. Lab sessions will be recorded and made available to virtual participants after the lectureship.
  
  

  Food and fiber production – it all starts with the soil, water and plants capturing energy from the sun. Effective grazing management involves both science and art and is essential for long-term ranch success. This course provides students the tools to determine correct stocking rate – the ever-changing interface between plants and herbivores. Instructors will share from their wealth of grazing system experiences and emphasize the connection between strategic natural resource stewardship and achieving ranch goals. This lectureship—held in partnership with Noble Research Institute, LLC— will start participants down the trail to developing a sustainable grazing plan for their ranch.

  The Noble Research Institute, LLC (www.noble.org) is an independent nonprofit agricultural research organization dedicated to delivering solutions to great agricultural challenges. Headquartered in Ardmore, Oklahoma, the Noble Research Institute conducts fundamental, translational and applied research; offers no-cost consultation and education to farmers, ranchers and land managers; operates seven research and demonstration farms; and educates students of all ages about science and agriculture. The Noble Research Institute was founded by Lloyd Noble, an Oklahoma oilman and philanthropist, in 1945 as The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation to advance agriculture and land stewardship.

• Learning Objectives

  • Define the physiological processes, the morphological development, and the basic ecology of native and introduced forage species
  • Determine carrying capacity and stocking rates
  • Understand the impacts of grazing systems on vegetation, livestock, wildlife, watersheds, and profitability
  • Develop management plans
  • Develop grazing strategies
  • Develop contingency plans

• Instructors

  Noble Research Institute, LLC Range and Pasture Consultants, Wildlife and Range Consultants, and Associate Professor and Pasture Consultant