Producer Identified Barriers to Adoption of Best Management Practices in Southern Great Plains Grazing Systems.

Kansas and Oklahoma are in the top five cattle producing states, accounting for over 10 million head of cattle. The drought of 2011 and 2012 is still effecting forage quality, soil health, and overall production in these essential beef production area. The adoption of proper best management practices (BMPs) could help producers battle these adverse effects.  The objectives of this study were to understand the BMPs that producers are currently using and identify the barriers and social constraints limiting adoption. This information will identify opportunities to improve information delivery and communication about BMPs. The participants selected for this study were beef cattle producers in Kansas and Oklahoma that utilized wheat pasture, native range, and/or managed pastures. Extension agents and other experts were used to identify initial producer contacts. A snowball sampling method was used to widen the sample and mitigate any sampling bias from county Extension agents. Producer interviews were conducted at the individuals home or business and lasted between 45 minutes to one hour. The BMPs examined included prescribed burning, soil testing of tame pastures, rest from grazing, rotational grazing, and stocking rates. Producers who were adopting BMPs expressed their frustration with other producers who were being poor stewards of the land. Producers who were not adopting practices had various physical and mental barriers to overcome before adoption was an option. Improved understanding, will help Extension and other professionals more effectively communicate about BMPs to increase the instance of adoption and the resiliency of the beef cattle system.