NEW BOSTON, Mo. – Tad and Kim Carnahan knew where one of their first stops would be after their move from Colorado to Missouri.

The lifelong learners turned to University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Zac Erwin and agronomy specialist Valerie Tate for help in setting up their new Missouri cattle and forage operation.

The local extension center became their one-stop shop for learning. “We try to absorb everything,” Tad Carnahan says.

Tad grew up on a Colorado ranch. Like many ranch families, the Carnahans only went “to town” once a month for groceries and supplies. The family’s visits included a stop at the county extension office, where the Carnahans learned how to improve the ranch, Grandma and Mom got the latest updates on canning and gardening, and the boys connected through 4-H clubs.

On the other hand, Kim says she had never seen a cow until she met Tad. Everything she knows about agriculture she learned through Tad and the extension office.

It was natural that the Carnahans would turn to MU Extension when they bought a 530-acre farm in northeastern Missouri. They also rent 970 acres.

“Tad and Kim are the type of extension users you gravitate towards as an extension specialist,” says Erwin. “Tad is the type of person who asks great questions, does his research and believes in the university as a trusted source of information. Tad takes the knowledge and transforms it into actionable outcomes, and that has been a big part of his success.”

Ranching in Missouri is a lot different from ranching in Colorado. To adapt, the Carnahans turned to the MU Extension centers in Adair and Linn counties and the MU Cornett Farm and Forage Systems Research Center in Linneus.

Erwin and Tate recommended that the Carnahans attend grazing schools offered by MU Extension and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The schools teach how to establish management intensive grazing (MIG) systems, in which producers regularly move cattle from one fenced paddock to another. This allows grasses to rest and grow before being used again, extending the grazing season and giving cattle a steady supply of nutritious feed.

The Carnahans soon became fans of Missouri’s long grazing season. They learned the advantages of swapping Colorado’s 54-day growing season and rocky soils for Missouri’s longer grazing season and rich soils. “There’s no such thing as rotational grazing there,” Tad says. “The cows bit the grass off once and that was it.”

To implement MIG, the Carnahans followed a forestry management plan to clear more than 1,200 mature oak trees from the rolling hills. They also left trees in strategic spots to provide shade and shelter for their Angus and Hereford herd.

With the financial help of the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Missouri Soil and Water Conservation program, they built six ponds to add to their existing three, in addition to nine tire tanks fed by water lines, to guarantee adequate drinking water for their 17 paddocks. They also built 5 miles of high tensile electric fences through the incentive program and about 8 miles of fence, crossings and gates on their own. They also implemented erosion control methods to limit runoff.

The Carnahans put up about 1,000 big bales of hay each year to get them through the winter. They’ve incorporated 30 acres of warm-season grasses with the help of Tate and several MU and NRCS projects. With their deep root systems, low-maintenance warm-season grasses resist pests and diseases and tolerate drought – critical advantages this year. The grasses also provide habitat for wildlife, one of the Carnahan family’s goals.

Tad does most of the physical labor, checking the herd and gates by horseback or ATV. Kim manages the finances and recordkeeping. The couple has three grown children.

The Carnahans network with the local agricultural community through participation on the MU Extension Council in Linn County and the Missouri Livestock Symposium committee.

Their involvement with MU Extension is rewarding to Erwin and Tate and others in the ag community who work with them. “They are just great people in general, but it’s very fulfilling to see someone use the resources you have to offer and transform them into real-life improvements,” Erwin says. “The Carnahans are an example of why I love doing what I do.”

MU Extension specialists in Missouri’s 114 counties serve to provide reliable, trusted information from the university throughout the state.