A 1135 acre tract of native bluestem pasture 5 miles northeast of
Manhattan was acquired by the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station in 1946 for
range research. Professor A.G. Picket was in charge of the beef cattle research at
that time. Professor Kling Anderson of the Department of Agronomy cooperated
with the Department of Animal Husbandry in collecting grazing research data.
Professor Clenton Owensby, presently assisted by Mr. Gene Towne, took over Dr.
Anderson's responsibilities after his retirement. Mr. Jim Whitney is responsible for
supervising work at the unit. Many students, staff, faculty, and producers have
aided in many aspects of the studies. Following are summaries of several of the
research projects that have been carried out at the Range Research Center.