Harvey Ranch

Overview

Located 11 miles west of Paisley, Oregon, a four and one-half hour drive from OSU, this eastern Oregon ranch consists of 1,200 acres and public land permits for spring and summer grazing. The original homestead provided 640 acres of pasture land for sheep, but through the years additional acreage has been added and, since 1917, the ranch has been producing high-quality beef cattle. The ranch was donated to the OSU Foundation in November, 1987 by Glenn and Mildred Harvey. The ranch is operated and managed by the OSU Foundation. The cow-calf to yearling operation handles about 400 crossbred cows that had a Hereford and Shorthorn background. For the past 15 years Red and Black Angus bulls have been used extensively. Cows are on meadowlands that grow native meadow hay that includes timothy, clover, sedges, and rushes during winter and spring. To allow the grass to produce hay, the cattle are moved onto BLM land shortly after branding in early April. They are then rotated onto Forest Service land and range land for the rest of the grazing season. Much of the hill country has been seeded with crested-wheat grass, a hardy graze-resistant plant. Management practices include alternate day/night feeding of grass and alfalfa hay to the yearlings and a thorough record-keeping system. High-quality commercial bulls have been purchased and an artificial insemination program has been initiated for the heifers. Internships are available to students with majors in the College of Agricultural Sciences, providing practical hands-on experience in the beef industry. The ranch affords an excellent opportunity for students from various fields to work together and combine efforts on a variety of projects, and also enables graduate students to conduct agricultural research in watershed management, semi-arid forage production, and various aspects of ranch management. Facilities: 1 large barn, 1 calving shed, 1 shop, corral - three large pens, 3 smaller sorting pens, 1 sorting alley, 1 scale system adjacent to corral, Powder River tub and squeeze chute system, 1 hay shed, 1 300 hd capacity feedlot.