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 three kids, have been running cattle on the same land in Checotah 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,” Sisson 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 notso- 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. From local winnings to having a 4th in-class steer at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. At this time he was also doing AI work for ranchers in the area and did this on the side for about 10 years to help cover college tuition costs for his three kids.
Sisson 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.
Sisson has also 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. 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 work out 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 Sisson, this is more than just raising cattle; it’s an ever-evolving lifestyle.
Recently, Sisson started a grazing program in his herd as an experiment. He’s always been interested in agronomy and said he decided to major in it in college because, “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 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 then over-seeded with crabgrass, which he stated “acts 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. 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. Sisson ran 75 cows on a 55-acre plot and fenced off one-acre plots all over it. He “stripgrazed” 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 two days.
Sisson noted that “when we had about eight 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 Sisson 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 Sisson 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 Sisson and his family have.
