Missouri State Awarded $300K Grant for Drone-Assisted Pastureland Study

Oct 29, 2024

A Missouri State University agriculture professor received a six-figure grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study the integration of pastureland and Black Walnut forests.

The federal agency awarded Dr. Michael Goerndt, an associate professor in the School of Agricultural Science and Conservation, a $300,000 grant for his project: “Adaptation of Pasture and Forestland to Silvopasture and Black Walnut Systems in Southern Missouri.”

Goerndt and his team will collect data in traditional ways, such as measuring plants and soil. They will also use drones with advanced sensors to create detailed maps of how trees and grass grow and stay healthy over time.

“Not only will this project provide beneficial research to our regional producers, but it will also develop an outdoor living lab for our students to use for years to come,” said Dr. Melissa Bledsoe, dean of the William H. Darr College of Agriculture. “This collaboration will provide a valuable and lasting impact to our programs at Missouri State.”

What is silvopasture?

Southern Missouri hosts many areas combining trees and grazing land, which is called silvopasture. This project will explore how to set up and manage these systems at Missouri State’s Shealy Farm.

The focus will be to study both the practical and economic aspects of growing trees and forage together, especially Black Walnut trees, in collaboration with the University of Missouri. This data will help improve silvopasture practices and provide important information for farmers and landowners.

The project will also offer hands-on learning for students, involving two graduate and four undergraduate students, and will enrich the education of over 150 more students through field trips and labs.

Goerndt and his team will share their findings with landowners and other professionals to help them learn about and implement silvopasture techniques.

About the grants

The grants are part of NIFA’s investment of more than $5.7 million in 21 projects aimed at helping nonland-grant colleges of agriculture.

According to the NIFA, these projects will:

Help strengthen the institution’s ability to develop infrastructure and carry out agricultural research, teaching and outreach activities.
Enhance the ability of faculty members to engage in agricultural professional development opportunities.
Increase the number, quality and diversity of qualified graduates entering the food and agricultural workforce.

Source : missouristate.edu

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.