The Grazinglands Research Laboratory (GRL) develops and delivers technologies, management strategies, and planning tools to evaluate and manage economic and environmental risks for integrated-crop-forage-livestock systems under variable climate, energy and market conditions. This research mission leverages diverse partnerships with federal, state, and local stakeholders.
Our research is organized in interactive and complementary Units focused on Great Plains Agroclimate and Natural Resources and Forage and Livestock Production. Additionally, the GRL leads the Southern Plains (SP) site of the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network (LTAR) and USDA’s Southern Plains Climate Hub. Our objectives are to bridge gaps between farm management goals and goals that are shared across farms and communities using off-location research watersheds and the 6,700 ac GRL as outdoor laboratories; and develop techniques to enhance ecological function, resource-use efficiency, and sustainability of livestock production in the Southern Plains.
The laboratory assets and facilities include farm-scale pastures for evaluation of improved warm- and cool-season grasses, 1,000 ac. of wheat, and 3,000 ac. of tallgrass prairie; experimental beef cattle herds and extensive forage and animal research infrastructure; research greenhouses and laboratories for analysis of soil, plant, forage quality, and livestock fecal and blood characteristics; and climate, hydrology, remote sensing, and modeling research capacity.
Mission: To develop and deliver technologies, management strategies, and planning tools to evaluate and manage economic and environmental risks for integrated-crop-forage-livestock systems under variable climate, energy, and market conditions.