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RESEARCH GRANTS AWARDED |
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 Department scientists receive
$499,500 USDA Grant to study use of conservation tillage
to improve stocker cattle profitability and improve soil
and water quality
University of
Arkansas Division of Agriculture scientists Paul Beck,
Merle Anders, Brad Watkins, Shane Gadberry and Stacey
Gunter recently received a 3-year grant for $499,500 from
the
National
Research Initiative of the USDA Cooperative State
Research, Education and Extension Service to fund research
at the UA Livestock and Forestry Branch Station at
Batesville, Ark This research will include both research
and Extension demonstrations by animal scientists,
agronomists and agricultural economists along with
researchers from Oklahoma State University and the Noble
Foundation in Ardmore, OK. This research will study the
effect of conservation tillage for production of winter
annual forages and how diversification of farming
operation and conservation tillage can help beef producers
improve their profits while meeting water quality
standards enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency.
This grant is a continuation of research that began in
2002 and was funded with a $100,000 NRI seed grant, which
compares the performance of fields that have been
conventionally tilled — the soil was turned over with disk
and chisel plows — with fields that have managed with
reduced tillage or no till. Don Hubbell, the director of
the UA Livestock and Forestry Branch Station, said “These
tests measured the effects of the different tilling
systems on soil characteristics, erosion and runoff of
nutrients; the performance of cattle grazed on the winter
forages grown on the test fields; and the economic impact
on costs of maintaining the pastures and returns on the
sale of cattle.”
Results from the seed grant showed over $100 per acre
advantage to conservation-tilled forages used for grazing,
primarily due to significantly reduced equipment and fuel
costs with little or no reduction in cattle performance.
Significant improvements in soil and water quality were
seen as well.
Department
Scientists receive $453,853 USDA Grant to study strategic
use of novel endophyte fescues that minimizes investment
but maximizes production
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture scientists,
Ken Coffey, Mike Popp, John Jennings, Mary Savin, Charles
Rosenkrans, Jr., and USDA scientist Mike Looper have been
informed that they will receive a 4-year grant totaling
$453,853 from the USDA NRI Program to determine the most
efficient use of novel endophyte fescues in Arkansas
cow/calf operations. Tall fescue toxicosis has
plagued Arkansas cattle producers for decades. The most
recent breakthrough in the tall fescue toxicosis area is
to inject a fungus into tall fescue that helps the plant
be more persistent and have greater drought resistance,
but does not produce toxins that harm cattle. While
cattle performance has been improved substantially with
these forages, the economic benefits of converting all of
a producer’s acreage to the new “Novel” fescue do not
offset the substantial investment costs. The USDA-funded
a study to be conducted at the University of Arkansas
Division of Agriculture’s Livestock and Forestry Branch
Station at Batesville that will investigate the benefits
of converting only 25% of the total acreage to the new
tall fescue. Collaborators in the departments of Animal
Science, Agricultural Economics and Agri Business, Crop,
Soil, and Environmental Sciences, and the Cooperative
Extension Service will be investigating the impacts of
this smaller investment in new fescue technology on growth
performance and physiology of cow-calf pairs, post-weaning
calf performance, soil ecology, and economic returns. It
is expected that moving cattle to the new fescue at
strategic times will reduce the majority of the impact of
tall fescue toxicosis and make this technology more
economical for cattle producers in Arkansas. The study
will begin in the winter of 2006 using both spring and
fall-calving cows.
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Saturday, May 6,
2006 |
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FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE FIELD DAY
Scenes From This Field Day
University of Arkansas
Livestock and Forestry Branch Experiment
Station
Saturday, May 6, 2006 -
8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Click here for the flyer
This field day qualifies for 2.5 CFE hours.
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Top left; Dr.
Tamara Walkingstick, UACES, and Mr. Chris Stuhlinger, UA
Forest Systems Manager, looking at some of the data
presented during the field day May 6, 2006.
Top center; Dr.
Tamara Walkingstick, UACES talks to landowners about
thinning and marketing pine stands.
Top right;
Hardwood study shows tree shelters around small
seedlings to protect them until they become better
established. Trees were planted in Feb.2005.
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Center
left; Kyle Cunningham talks to landowners about
establishing reparian buffers.
Center
center; Dr. Jamie Schuler talks about growth in
pine stands post-thinning and harvest.
Center
right; Chris Stuhlinger talks to landowners about
the acorn study planted in 2005.
Bottom; Dr. Dick
Kluender makes a point about measuring and managing
forests for harvest. |
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Tuesday, April 18, 2006 |
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Researching Critical Issues for Arkansas Cattlemen
(click to download the proceedings - pdf
format)
Scenes from this Field Day
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Top left; the crowd
of attendees listen to Mr. John Richeson discuss some
of the stocker cattle receiving work don at LFST
Top center; Animal
Science Department Head Dr. Keith Lusby, left, visits
with Dr. Bill Mies of eMerge Interactive during the
field day
Top right; Dr.
Greg Weidemann, right, presents a Friend of Animal
Science Award to Mr. Leland Jackson of Ash Flat,
Arkansas
Bottom left; Dr.
Greg Weidemann, right, presents a Friends of Animal
Science award to Mr. Bob Dixon of Black Rock, Arkansas
Bottom center;
Dr. Paul Beck talking to producers about novel
endophyte fescue
Bottom right;
Dr. Keith Lusby reads the inscription on the Friends
of Animal Science Award given to Mr. Bob Dixon at the
field day held on April 18, 2006. |
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2005 |
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Conservation Tillage for Winter Annual Production
Implications for Land, Livestock and Labor
Livestock and
Forestry Branch Station, Batesville
Click here to download flyer (pdf)
Field day proceedings file
September 2005 (pdf 2MB)
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FRIENDS OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AWARD |
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Dr. Keith Lusby presents a "Friend of Animal Science
Award" to Mr. Tom Williams of Batesville at the
recent field day and conference held at the UA Division of
Agriculture Livestock and Forestry Branch Station.
Mr.
Williams has been elected President of the Independence
County Farm Bureau, the Independence County Cattlemen’s
Association, The Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association, and the
Arkansas Cattlemen’s Foundation. He served as President
of the Arkansas Beef Council and as a member of the
National Livestock and Meat Board. He has devoted
countless hours to organizations that work to improve the
quality of life for Arkansans. His leadership and vision
are important reasons that The Department of Animal
Science at the University of Arkansas is one of the best
in the country. |
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Dr. Keith
Lusby presents award to Mr. Tom Williams |
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TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2005 |
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Researching Critical Issues for Arkansas Cattlemen
A Field
Day and Conference
Livestock and Forestry
Branch Station, Batesville
Click here to download flyer with agenda
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DIRECTORS MEETING 9/23/04 |
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U of A, Division of Agriculture, Livestock
and Forestry Branch Station
Front row: (l to r) Dan Chapman, Dennis
Motes, Fred Bourland, Don Hubbell, Dick Kluender, Roger Eason,
Kelly Bryant
Back row: (l
to r) Mike Phillips, Larry Earnest, Chris Deren, Claude Kennedy,
Rick Roeder, Vaughn Skinner
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Saturday, October 30, 2004 |
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Forestry and Wildlife Field Day
Livestock and Forestry Branch Experiment Station
Batesville, Arkansas
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Scenes from this Field Day |
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