This page highlights the work of the NDSU Livestock Stewardship Program, which is led by Dr. Miranda Meehan.
The NDSU Livestock & Environmental Stewardship program focuses on research and education to broaden the knowledge of livestock management, livestock and environmental interactions, the sustainability, and producing animal products. The mission of the NDSU Stewardship Program is to provide educational programs and conduct research to improve stewardship of livestock, soil, forage, water, wildlife, people and capital, ensuring these resources are preserved for future generations.
06/01/2026
This year we installed soil moisture sensors at 6” and 12” on our North Dakota Soybean Council funded integrated crop livestock system project at the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center. The sensors will allow us to determine if winter cereals or grazing is influencing soil moisture in soybeans.
05/29/2026
I’m incredibly grateful for my team! This crew has literally crisscrossed the state the last two weeks to get everything set up and cows out on trials. In just over a week they set up towers, collar about 250 cattle, and collected forage and soil samples. They took on unexpected challenges without hesitation to keep projects on track.
05/22/2026
Got out and checked cows on our riparian grazing trial this morning and was able to capture some spring wildflowers in bloom. These cows are limited to grazing a week early in the grazing season, which allows time for regrowth prior to high runoff and flow events. This regrowth is critical for bank stabilization, sediment trapping, and dissipating energy during these events.
05/21/2026
We’re hearing frustrations regarding the current drought monitor map. If you feel the map does not reflect conditions in your area , please take some time and submit a Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR). https://go.unl.edu/cmor
This week we started collaring cows for our virtual fence research. By the end of the month we’ll have 450 cows in eleven herds across the state.
05/19/2026
Despite recent rain the entire state is well behind normal precipitation for the growing season. Based on current conditions in ranchers should plan for decreased forage production and create well-defined trigger dates for implementing drought management strategies.
05/11/2026
NDSU Extension agents have received reports of low or toxic water sources. This is due to a combination of low spring runoff and below-average precipitation. Screen livestock water sources before turning livestock out to graze. Reach out to your NDSU Extension agent for more information.
NDSU Extension encourages producers to screen livestock water quality NDSU Extension agents have received reports of low or toxic water sources.
05/06/2026
We’re looking forward to sharing our experience using virtual fence in different grazing systems. We’ve certainly learned a lot over the last three years!
Join us for Grazing Logic on June 17, 2026 in Havana, ND.
Register by calling the number listed on the flyer.
05/06/2026
Things are drying out in western North Dakota. If you are experiencing dry/drought conditions in your area, please take a few minutes to submit a report at go.unl.edu/cmor_drought
05/01/2026
Today Miranda Meehan and Katrina Kratzke visited with the NDSU Animal Sciences Livestock Production class about forages and grazing. We discussed different types of forages, dry matter, stocking rate, and carrying capacity.