Modernizing Our Roots: Sustainable range and pasture result demonstrations to encourage local education and adoption

Result demonstrations are an example project used to demonstrate a known outcome of a practice, as opposed to applied research where the results are largely unknown, or not yet proven. Result demonstrations are the foundation of Extension education, where farmers/ranchers see practice in action on another farmer’s land, before determining if it may be appropriate for their farm. Local, sustainable result demonstrations have the potential to increase farmer/rancher understanding of sustainable practices and increase the likelihood of adoption. County Resource Professionals (CRPs) from three Key Project Partner agencies have a large percentage of new (< 5 years employed) county workforce. Additionally, despite agent requirements to conduct demonstrations, they have been struggling to meet this target. Though Extension administration has a renewed focus on promoting result demonstrations, new CRPs lack examples and strategies for success.

This project will address that need by allowing CRPs to learn from successful and sustainable Mentor Farmers and see examples of modern, pre-training, sustainable result demonstrations completed. This will be accomplished with five tools.

1. Pre-Training Result Demonstrations (Goal 1-A,B): In Year 1, Key Project Partners will oversee the planning, establishment, evaluation, and interpretation of 20 sustainable result demonstrations. Each pre-training demonstration site will be videoed from start-to-finish and edited into a professional, modern interpretation video. Mentor Farmers will review and provide feedback. These videos will be used as examples during the in-person training (#2 below), the virtual training (#3 below), and reside on agency websites for future reference (#5 below). Potential projects for pre-training, sustainable result demonstrations include:

 Livestock

• Economic comparison and strategy for using stockpiled forage (grazed) instead of last cutting for hay
• Impacts of continuous versus rotational grazing
• Comparison of management strategies post-weaning

Beef Cattle

• Grazing for soil moisture retention – a comparison of Spring soil moisture in plots sustainably grazed with cattle vs. plots grazed more intensely the prior growing season
• Soil sampling comparison after implementing long-term (20-year) high-frequency rotational cattle grazing
• Stocking rate influence on weed encroachment and forage response – forage grass removal at varying levels/stocking rates
• Use of temporary fencing to implement rotational grazing

Small Ruminants

• Parasite monitoring (FAMACHA Scoring) and treatment in sheep/goats
• Impact of maintaining forage height for parasite reduction
• Livestock predator protection; a comparison of dogs, llamas, donkeys, and trapping
• Best practices for grazing sheep behind cattle

Healthy Soils & Vegetation

• Short-term soil sampling differences in rotational chicken house use
• Comparison of soil fertilizer alternatives and resulting forage growth
• Comparison of forage grass establishment – 3 introduced forage grasses, 1 native grass mix
• Exclusive native grass plantings vs. native grasses + forbs and resulting species composition, forage biomass, and forage nutrition
• Native seeding – Selecting a native plant mix, ordering based on pure live seed, calibrating a seed drill, selecting seeding method
• Soil moisture and microbes comparison of fields deep soil ripped several years ago vs. non ripped
• Comparison of mechanical renovation tools to increase soil moisture and grass production
• Advantages of planting cool season legumes in a perennial warm season grass
• Follow-up treatments after broadcast control methods for resprouting brush management in pastures

Wildlife Integration

• Selective tree reshaping using half cutting methods to improve wildlife habitat types
• Using game cameras to monitor wildlife use of agricultural areas
• Fencing to reduce wild pig damage and disease – cost analysis versus other control measures
• Mitigating wild pig damage in hay meadows and pastures – techniques for leveling and restoring soils

2. In-Person Training (Goal 2-A,B,C,D): In Year 2, an in-person training (2 days/2 nights) will be held in Palestine, Texas. Thirty-two CRPs will be selected for the in-person training based on their potential to serve as result demonstration mentors in their district, with preference given to those with less than 5 years of employment and those who serve a greater majority of underserved producers in their county. CRPs will include 12 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agents, 8 Prairie View A&M agents, and 12 USDA-NRCS county personnel. The agenda will include:

1. 1. Farm visits to see pre-training result demonstrations in place and learn about the practice from the Mentor Farmers.
   2. Viewing of videos for example pre-training result demonstrations that are not nearby.
   3. Small Group Discussions to highlight what makes a successful, sustainable result demonstration: planning, establishing, evaluating, and interpreting.

*Participants will be given a post-retrospective survey at the conclusion of the training to determine knowledge and behavioral changes and again six months later to determine how they have used the information.

If COVID-19 restrictions prevent travel for an in-person training, we will be prepared to offer an additional, more in-depth virtual training.

3. Virtual Training (Goal 2-A,B,C,D): Approximately one month after the in-person training, a virtual result demonstration training will be held, open to all multi-agency CRPs. This training will be structured similarly to the in-person training, except videos of pre-training result demonstrations and the in-person training will be relied upon in lieu of site visits.

*Participants will be given a post-retrospective survey at the conclusion of the training and again six months later to determine how they have used the information.

4.Post-Training CRP Result Demonstrations (Goal 4-A,B,C): At the conclusion of the in-person training, county agents (20; AgriLife Extension & Prairie View) will be offered $300/each to establish a new, post-training result demonstration in their county. USDA-NRCS personnel are not required to conduct demonstrations but will be encouraged to partner with an agent. Agents will be asked to create post-training result demonstrations with a sustainability focus, create a video of the project, host a field day for farmers/ranchers, and evaluate those clientele who attend or watch their result demonstration video.

5.Long-Term Products (Goal 3-A,B): In addition to the modern, result demonstration interpretation example videos (20), this project will create a Sustainable Result Demonstration Training video (from the in-person and virtual training) to be used in future agency new employee onboarding and a Best Practices for Result Demonstrations publication (electronic), ensuring the efforts of this project reach the intended audience for many years. Key Project Partners will work with agency administration to incorporate during onboarding and on agency websites.