Ranchers Since 1965
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Serving Farmers and Ranchers Since 1965 |
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The Stewardship Ranch is 285 acres adjacent to the Kerr Center office, located just south of Poteau in southeastern Oklahoma. It is a portion of the 4000 acre Kerr Ranch, established by Senator Robert S. Kerr in the 1950s. (Read Hoeing the Row Out for a history of the Kerr Center and Kerr Ranch.) The Stewardship Ranch demonstrates that farms and ranches can maintain agricultural productivity and profitability, while providing for wildlife habitat and conserving natural resources. Beef cattle are raised on the ranch using management intensive grazing methods that sustain the grass and soil. A small herd of Pineywoods Cattle, a heritage breed, graze near the office, while cattle particularly suited to the region (Angus-Senepol cross) graze other areas of the ranch. The Kerr Center uses one area of the ranch to conduct trials of horticulture crops. A number of best management practices have been implemented to protect riparian areas (streams and ponds). Also ongoing are agroforestry projects. The Eight Areas of Sustainability guide farm management decisions. In 2000, the Kerr Center and the Stewardship Ranch won a Merit Award from the Soil and Water Conservation Society for protection of riparian areas on the Stewardship Ranch and for educating landowners about protecting their water and soil. More on...
Contact:Alan Ware, Stewardship Ranch Director, David Redhage, Natural Resources Economist, Simon Billy, Horticulture Projects
Manager, 918.647.9123
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Billboards
along the highway near the ranch explain projects. The staff reaches out
to farmers and ranchers through regular field days and workshops. A number
of publications explaining Stewardship Ranch projects are available.