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OSU Beef Cattle Breeding Facility
South Lake Carl Blackwell Range
The South Range consists of approximately 3200 acres of native range (15% wooded) and 250 acres of bermuda grass. The range area is divided mostly into 100 to 160 acre pastures. Most of the acreage surrounds Lake Carl Blackwell. Pastures are in four main tracts, 640 acres, about 600 acres north of the lake, 380 acres in a single pasture and the remainder comprising the "headquarters" area.
The herd is comprised of 300 beef cows (Hereford and Hereford-Angus), 10 bulls and 65 replacement heifers. About 90 cows calve in the fall and the remainder in the spring. Cattle inventories of both research leaders (Lalman and Wettemann) are combined and selected for projects according to most appropriate breed, age, weight, condition, etc.
Headquarters facilities consist of a 60 X 72 ft metal building containing electronic cattle scales And squeeze chute, rest rooms, tool and equipment storage and office.
Excellent and extensive cattle holding and sorting pens are integrated with the building. Pens also permit limited cattle feeding experiments. Two individual feeding barns, each with feed storage areas and 42 individual covered stalls, are located in this area. Portable cattle scales and portable sorting facilities are located about 1.5 miles from the headquarters to permit limited weighing and sorting without driving cattle to the main facility.
The Highway 86 area has an individual feeding barn identical to those at the headquarters, covered cattle scales and working facilities and limited, but adequate, permanent cattle sorting facilities. The 380 acre pasture located just west of this area is used only for temporary grazing of cattle because of lack of any handling facilities.
Section 32 has one permanent holding pen for small groups of cattle. Weighing is conducted with portable scales and corral equipment. This area is used primarily for less intensive studies because of its lack of facilities.
In addition to studies on nutrition and reproduction, cooperative studies with researchers in Veterinary Medicine and Entomology are conducted.
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