Progress report for LNE23-474R
Project Information
As grass-fed products continue to grow in popularity due to increased consumer demand, livestock producers throughout the Northeast region are becoming increasingly interested in grass-fed production systems. However, relative to conventional management systems, it is challenging for producers to achieve sufficient livestock performance on forage alone. Fluctuations in forage quality and quantity throughout the growing season can make this particularly difficult. In the cool-season pastures that predominate the Northeast region, there is often an abundance of forage during the spring and fall but limited growth during the summer. Incorporation of annual forages into perennial-based grazing systems presents an opportunity for producers to provide higher quality forages over a greater portion of the growing season, increasing animal performance. However, utilizing annual forages requires additional financial inputs related to forage establishment (e.g., seed, time, labor, and seeding equipment). In the 2020 Maryland Forage Needs Assessment, cost of establishment was listed by producers as their primary limitation for using annual forages. It is largely unknown if these additional costs outweigh the benefits that annual forages can provide. This information would be valuable to producers in making decisions on the use of annual forages for their operation.
The objective of this project is to compare forage yield and quality, livestock performance, soil health, and economic impact between a traditional cool-season perennial-based pasture system and a perennial/annual combination pasture system. Pasture systems will be located at the University Research Center and the study will be conducted over multiple growing seasons to account for annual weather variability. Both systems will utilize an established, high-quality, mixed grass-legume perennial pasture. For the perennial/annual combination system, a portion of the acreage will be set aside and planted in annual forages, which will be established seasonally with summer annuals followed by winter annuals. During the grazing season, a similar livestock herd with equal stocking density will be rotationally grazed within each pasture system. Forage yield, forage quality, animal performance (weight gain, growth), soil health, and economic data (costs: seed, time, labor; income: animal weight gain value) will be measured under each system. An economic analysis will be completed to compare the inputs, outputs, and relative success of each system.
As the study progresses, producers will be invited to an annual field day at the research site. Preliminary results will be shared and producers will be invited to provide feedback and discuss research findings. Two producers interested in trying annual forages on their own farms will be recruited to serve as on-farm demonstration sites and will each host an on-farm field day. At the conclusion of the study, results will be disseminated to producers through a combination of direct (farm visits, field days, meetings, demonstrations) and indirect (articles, webinars, videos) methods.
The objective of this research project is to compare forage production and quality, livestock performance, soil health, and economics under a perennial versus perennial/annual combination forage system. The use of annual forages for livestock production is becoming increasingly popular and is often perceived as a high-quality, high-yielding forage option compared to traditional perennial pasture. However, annual forages require increased establishment costs, and it is unknown if these additional costs outweigh the benefits annual forages can provide. This study will compare these two production systems to allow Northeast livestock producers to make more educated decisions regarding forage options for their farm.
Across the US, grass-fed meat and dairy products are rapidly growing in popularity, and consumer demand for these products is steadily increasing. For example, data from Nielsen (2017) showed that retail sales of labeled fresh grass-fed beef grew from $17 million in 2012 up to $272 million in 2016, effectively doubling each year. This fast-growing consumer phenomenon is attracting the attention of livestock producers across the country, and as a result, many producers are becoming increasingly interested in grass-fed production systems. An independent report by the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture estimated there were 3,900 producers finishing grass-fed cattle in the U.S. in 2016, up from around 100 in 1998 (Cheung et al., 2017).
Within the Northeast region, there are over 39,000 beef, 10,000 dairy, and 13,000 small ruminant operations. Given their typically smaller farm size and relatively close proximity to highly populated areas, producers in the Northeast are well-aligned to capitalize on this demand, often through direct-to-consumer marketing, and many are moving towards grass-fed production systems. At least 200 farms in the Mid-Atlantic region are already actively raising and marketing grass-fed products, and there is potential for many more to join that list. However, relative to conventional management systems, it is challenging for producers to achieve sufficient livestock performance on forage alone. Fluctuations in forage quality and quantity throughout the growing season can make this particularly difficult. In the cool-season pastures that predominate the Northeast region, there is often an abundance of forage during the spring and fall but limited growth during the summer. This challenge was evident in the 2020 Maryland Forage Needs Assessment, as livestock producers ranked management to ‘extend the grazing season’ and ‘combat the summer slump’ in their top 3 topics of interest, while ‘dependence on hay’ was listed as a top challenge.
One strategy to help mitigate this could be the use of annual forages. Incorporation of annual forages into perennial-based livestock grazing systems presents an opportunity for producers to provide high-quality forages over a greater portion of the growing season, boosting forage availability and animal performance. Summer annuals can increase forage availability during the summer months, and winter annuals can provide high-quality forage during the late fall and early spring months. Previous research has supported the use of annuals for boosting season-long forage production and has shown they can provide high-quality forage capable of supporting good animal performance (Pereira, 2009; Dillard et al., 2018; Ritz et al., 2020). Preliminary work by the research team has also shown potential for success using this strategy. At the University Research Center, part of the pasture used for dairy heifer grazing has been planted in a winter/summer annual forage rotation. Utilizing winter and summer annuals has increased the amount of forage available for grazing while also serving as a high-quality forage source, with heifer gains averaging 1.4 to 2.3 pounds per day while grazing annual forages. Altogether, this demonstrates that annual forages can serve as a high-yielding, high-quality, and readily-consumed forage source for livestock.
Cooperators
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Research
The objective of this project is to compare forage yield and quality, livestock performance, soil health, and economic impact between a traditional cool-season perennial-based pasture system and a perennial/annual combination pasture system. The research question that this study aims to evaluate is if there are economic advantages to utilizing a perennial/annual combination grazing system compared to a traditional cool-season perennial-based pasture system. Our hypothesis is that a perennial/annual combination grazing system will offer an economic advantage based on increased forage yield/production, greater forage quality, and increased livestock performance, while maintaining or improving soil health.
Treatments
The two treatments that will be compared in this project include a traditional, cool-season perennial pasture system and a perennial/annual combination pasture system. The perennial system will consist of an established grass-legume perennial mixture (orchardgrass, red clover, white clover, alfalfa). These species were chosen because they are a high-quality mixture commonly used in perennial pasture systems across the Northeast region. For the combination system, approximately 60% of the acreage will contain the same perennial mixture but the other 40% of the acreage will be planted in annual forages. The annual forages will be established seasonally with winter annuals (triticale, annual ryegrass, crimson clover) followed by summer annuals (sudangrass, millet, cowpeas). These annual species were chosen on the basis of seed availability, forage production and quality, and common use in grazing systems. Both pasture systems will be approximately 13 acres in size and will be located at the same University Research Center.
Methods
The study will be conducted over multiple growing seasons to account for annual weather variability.
Year 1 was set up as a preparation year to ensure all pastures are in good condition (both soil and forage) and ready for grazing, and also to allow time to source animals for grazing during subsequent years. In September 2023, seeding was completed on the perennial portion of the pastures to ensure the perennial pasture within both systems is similar and consistent in terms of forage quality and quantity. Also in September 2023, winter annual forages were established in the annual pasture areas in preparation for grazing the following spring. Seeding rates for all plantings followed existing recommendations for forage establishment. Soil samples were taken from each system in October 2023 to determine soil nutrient status, and pastures were fertilized according to soil sample test results to ensure optimum nutrient availability. Over the winter months, the project team found a local producer who is willing and able to provide animals for grazing in 2024. The team is anticipating starting grazing in either late March or early April of 2024 depending on weather conditions and forage availability.
The grazing experiment will take place during years 2 and 3 (2024 and 2025). During the grazing season, a similar livestock herd will be rotationally grazed within each pasture system. Each pasture system will be divided into replicated paddocks for rotational grazing; paddock sizing and number will be consistent between systems with approximately 0.5 acres per paddock. A total of 20 stocker cattle and 30 lambs of similar age, weight, and body condition will be used to form two similar mixed species herds (10 cattle and 15 lambs each). These species were chosen because they have high nutritional demand and are commonly used on grass-fed operations. A power analysis was completed to confirm that animal numbers should be sufficient to observe treatment differences (alpha = 0.05). At the time of arrival, livestock will be acclimated to each other and the research site. Prior to the study start, livestock will be weighed and measured, blocked by age, bodyweight, and body condition score, and randomly assigned to treatment system. Stocking density will remain consistent across both systems.
Livestock in the perennial system will rotate through the perennial paddocks according to forage availability and growth. Grazing will be initiated when the average sward height reaches 10-12 inches, and stocking days will be adjusted to leave a 4-5 inch stubble height. Livestock in the combination system will rotate in a similar fashion, but annual pasture areas will also be incorporated into the rotation. The decision to move between annual and perennial forage paddocks will depend on forage availability. Grazing height for the cool-season annual forages will be similar to the cool-season perennial forages; grazing height for the warm-season annual forages will begin when the average sward height reaches 18-20 inches and an 8-10 inch stubble height will be left. Once annual forage growth ceases and grazing of the remaining forage is completed, livestock will be rotated into the perennial forage area. At that time, the existing annual forage stand will be terminated and the subsequent annual forage mixture will be established. This same process will be repeated seasonally to effectively alternate between winter annual and summer annual forages on the same pasture area.
Throughout the duration of the study, livestock will have ad libitum access to water and minerals to ensure all nutrient requirements are being met. If at any time pasture quantity or quality are insufficient to meet nutritional needs, dry hay will be supplemented as needed.
Data Collection
Throughout the grazing season (approximately March-December), pasture samples will be collected on a weekly basis from both forage systems to determine forage yield and nutritive value. Forage samples will be collected from the subsequent paddock in the rotation prior to grazing. Forage yield will be determined by hand-harvesting standing forage down to the established stubble height within a 2.8 ft2 quadrat at 5 randomly-selected locations within the paddock. Yield samples will be weighed and dried in a forced-air oven at 60°C to allow for dry matter and forage yield calculations. Forage quality samples will be collected by hand-clipping random samples down to the established stubble height from a minimum of 10 locations within the paddock. Quality samples will be mixed to produce a single composite sample for each paddock and sent to a commercial forage testing laboratory (Cumberland Valley Analytical, Waynesboro, PA) for analysis.
Animal performance data for both groups will be collected every other week throughout the study. Performance data collected will include body weight, body condition (1-5 scale for lambs; 1-9 scale for cattle), average daily gain, hip height, and FAMACHA score (lambs only). Body condition will be assessed by the same two individuals throughout the study and averaged, and the same scale and measuring tools will be used at each time point.
Economic data will be collected for each system on a rolling basis throughout the study. Data collected for economic analysis will include total costs associated with annual forage establishment (e.g., seed, herbicide, labor, fuel), as well as pasture maintenance expenses (e.g., fertilizer, fuel) and total income (e.g. animal weight gain value) for each system. The amount of time herds spend in each paddock throughout the grazing season will be tracked, along with the amount of time the combination system herd spends in perennial vs. annual areas; this data will be used to calculate carrying capacity for each system. Any hay fed will be weighed and included as part of the economic analysis.
Data Analysis and Presentation of Results
At the conclusion of the study, the collected data will be analyzed in terms of forage yield (tons per acre), forage quality (e.g., fiber, protein, energy), and animal performance (e.g., weight gain, body condition, frame measures). In addition, an economic analysis will be completed to compare the inputs, outputs, and relative success of each system. The economic gain (or loss) due to differences in animal performance will be determined by assigning value to each kg of animal body weight based on the current market value for beef or lamb ($/kg).
All data will be analyzed as a mixed model analysis using SAS statistical software. Study results will be presented in several ways, including newsletter articles, Extension factsheets/reports, research updates at Extension meetings, and presentations at scientific conferences. The research team will also compile study results into a peer-reviewed publication which will be submitted after project completion.
Education & Outreach Activities and Participation Summary
Educational activities:
Participation Summary:
The grazing experiment is set to take place in years 2 and 3 of this project, during which time the project team will follow outreach plans as described in the study proposal. The research team is currently working on organizing the annual field day at the research site, which will occur during the summer 2024. The team is also working on recruiting potential producer farms interested in participating as on-farm demonstration sites. Once grazing begins in 2024, the team also plans to regularly share project updates via University of Maryland Extension channels and through partner networks.
That said, even though the grazing experiment part of this project had not yet begun, the research team did host 3 workshops/field days at the study site during 2023 and included information on this project and plans for the project moving forward.
Learning Outcomes
The grazing experiment is set to take place in years 2 and 3 of this project, during which time the project team will follow outreach plans as described in the study proposal. Learning outcomes that occur as a result of this outreach will subsequently be documented and reported.