MOBeef Update

Oak Knoll Ranch in Salem, Mo., is a 100 head cow/calf operation owned and operated by Leon and Helen Kreisler. The Kreisler family’s commercial Angus herd runs on 380 acres of grass, and the family’s remaining 100 acres are in timber production. Additionally, the Kreislers’ provide limited hunting leases.

The Kreisler family partnered with the Missouri Department of Conservation to set up a grazing system and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to design a water system and implement prescribed burns. As organizing members of the Advanced Graziers Group, a multi-county producer-driven network, the Kreislers have solicited the knowledge of guest speakers and implemented a farm tour program to learn about potential conservation practices.

Because water location and availability were limiting factors when designing a management intensive grazing system, the Kreislers installed seven fountain watering systems that include five tire tanks and two freeze-proof concrete water tanks. Ponds on the ranch are fenced to allow limited access, and manure is evenly distributed throughout the acreage because of animal rotation. To provide wildlife habitat, the family has diversified the forage base, installed bluebird and purple martin birdhouses and maintained brush-piles from forestry thinning. The family operation accomplished the goal of increasing the cattle herd without increasing acreage or fertilizer inputs. By utilizing available resources, Oak Knoll Ranch only feeds hay 20-40 days per year.

The Kreislers are involved in local, regional, state and even national leadership organizations to promote stewardship and conservation. At the state level, Leon is vice chair of the Missouri Soil and Water District Commission, directing hundreds of state conservation districts. He is a leader on the Missouri Beef Council, the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association and a long-term board member of the Missouri Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative Committee. Nationally, Leon has been representing Missouri producers on the U.S. Meat Export Federation for more than seven years.

*Photo courtesy of Charlie Rahm, NRCS