Dee Sisson uses his knowledge on the ranch to fit the real world needs of the cattle industry
CHECOTAH, OKLA. – Sisson Ranch is the epitome of using the gained knowledge of the land and conforming it to fit the real-world needs of the cattle industry. Arnold “Dee” Sisson and his wife Vicki along with their 3 kids have been running cattle on the same land in Checotah, OK for 50 years. He grew up involved in agriculture and FFA, whether that was shop class, showing hogs, or milking his dad’s cows.
“I didn’t have the money to show calves, but I could make do with hogs,” Dee explains.
After high school, Mr. Sisson attended Oklahoma State University where he attained an Agronomy degree. His family’s story started back in 1976 when Dee decided to start breeding about 20 head of Angus cattle.
“I asked a friend of mine, Gary Harding, what to breed these cows back to and he said a Maine-Anjou bull. So that’s what I did. I drove up to the Kansas line and purchased a not-so-good-looking show bull that was wormy and skinny, but I saw some potential in him.”
Because of his drive to fix the bad to make new, he ended up with some good Maine-Angus calves out of that bull and hasn’t ever changed. One of the reasons he chose to stay with the Maine breed was to produce Bred and Owned show calves for his kids, who showed all through high school. While his son and two daughters were going through college, Dee raised and sold show calves locally and nationally, and had plenty of success with them.
He and his wife now run about 160 head of breeding stock, with about half of the herd being registered with the American Maine-Anjou Association where he is a member. He raises and sells yearling heifers and bulls while retaining only the best to put back into his herd. Dee has put bulls into the Connors State College Bull Test Sale almost every fall. The genetics that he has continued to breed have built up an incredible herd that has the quality on hoof to back what’s on the papers. Mr. Sisson is always looking to learn from the younger generations who are constantly looking at the cattle of today. He enjoys having junior college judging teams come out to workout on bulls, yearlings, and anything else he can get together.
“I’m always impressed with the quality of the kids and their love for the cattle industry.”
But to Dee, this is more than just raising cattle, it’s an ever-evolving lifestyle. Recently, Dee started a grazing program in his herd as an experiment. “If you’re gonna raise cattle, you have to be able to feed them with something other than what comes from the feed store.” That is exactly what he has done. For years Mr. Sisson has continued to make his pastures replete with grasses that are constantly benefitting soil health and his herd.
His newest grazing program started back in September when he planted a base of clover and fescue along with the natural Bermuda already growing on that plot. He overseeded with crabgrass, which he said “acted as a natural competitor with the fescue.” He ran tests through the OSU Extension agency in McIntosh County to see the statistics on the field. Mr. Sisson got the percentages of protein on the fertilized and unfertilized ground. The fertilized grass had 16% protein, while the unfertilized had 11%.
But the grasses aren’t what made this experiment different. He ran 75 cows on a 55-acre plot and fenced off one-acre plots all over it. He “strip-grazed” this land and is still doing it into February. He would move the fence so the cattle could graze one acre every day. Some days not even one, and sometimes they got one acre for 2 days. He noted that “when we had about 8 inches of snow on the ground and moved the fence, those cows dug down into the snow and grazed.” Now, it might sound crazy, but these cows are in perfect condition and this method has saved Dee about 10-15,000 dollars in feed and hay.
“I’m still learning every day, but I think this will catch on and could revolutionize the cattle industry in our part of the country.”
It is amazing to see the steadfast dedication and continuous desire to learn more every day that Dee has. It was an incredible experience to ride around in a feed truck and listen to the stories, statistics, and love for the cattle industry that Dee and his family have.
