Potential positive economic impact for ranchers
County students are sprouting a new fodder project at BlueSTEM AgriLearning Center, 3232 N Jesse Reno Street on the historic Fort Reno grounds, near El Reno.
Yukon, El Reno and Calumet students attend classes at BlueSTEM. Educational Director Ann Marshall said the fodder project is a "two-year project, which began fall 2021, and involves analysis on cost, weight gain and other factors related to the fodder our students are growing."
Marshall said New Mexico State University, which funded BlueSTEM's project with a grant, is home to this project on a large scale. Ranchers in that area are already finishing their cattle on the fodder before slaughter.
"The big picture is that we want to know if we can feed a cow with little water and little cost," Marshall said. "This fodder has lower cost than other feed. This would be helpful for ranchers where there's little water available."
For the fodder project, BlueSTEM students use long trays, water, barley and shelving units.
"We built all this ourselves. We pull water from an in-house water source to irrigate," Marshall said. "Students soak barley in water for 12 to 24 hours, then put the barley in a tray. In six days, it grows from grain to a mat of roots, ready to be eaten by cattle. The roots have just as much nutrients as the shoots. We don't even need light to grow this."
"The El Reno Public School District has an FFA farm, where we have one cow in one pen eating normal feed. We have another cow in another pen eating only our fodder, plus grass and hay. At the time of animal slaughter, we will do a meat quality analysis."
Besides cattle, this fodder can also be used for chickens, sheep, goats, pigs and rabbits.
"We have a student doing a fodder project with two rabbits," Marshall said.
BlueSTEM offers hands-on projects in nearly everything conceivable from hydrology to making jelly and butter. Students design their projects, and use their data to write scientific papers, then present at higher education symposiums and competitions. Marshall said she hopes to expand BlueSTEM to other school districts.
Although expectations are high, Dr. Kristy Ehlers, director of school partnerships and special projects, said the program is not looking for top grade makers, but rather students who want and like to learn in a different manner.
Ehlers said if a student has an interest, for which BlueSTEM doesn't have a project, the staff will create something new.
Students may receive high school credit in an advanced science, as well as college credits. Ehlers said the EPA and the Oklahoma Conservation Commission are sometimes recipients of the research data.
The USDA's Agricultural Research Service Grazinglands Laboratory is located at Fort Reno, which the USDA owns.
BlueSTEM is located in the fort's 1876 commanding officer's home.
BlueSTEM's projects are connected to STEM curriculum, based on educating students in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and math.
Students do not pay tuition and they are paired one-on-one with scientists and experts in the field to complete their projects, which involve primary research.
ContactBlueSTEM at 313- 414-2633, or email ann.marshall@bluestemagrilearning.org