Forage and Pasture Educational Program for Extension, FSA, and NRCS in the Pacific Northwest

Forage and Pasture Educational Program for Extension, FSA, and NRCS in the Pacific Northwest

Summary

The production of a Pasture and Grazing Management Guide was completed in 2009 and printed books will be available in early 2010.

Objectives/Performance Targets

The objectives of the third phase of this project were to produce a pasture monitoring form and guide; and publication of an intensive pasture and grazing management guide. PASTURE AND GRAZING MANAGEMENT IN THE NORTHWEST is a Pacific Northwest Extension Publication PNW 614. There are an introduction, 17 chapters, and a glossary by 36 authors from Cooperative Extension, USDA Agricultural Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, and a private consultant. Authors are located in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and West Virginia. The 208 page document edited by Glenn E. Shewmaker and Mylen G. Bohle is published by the University of Idaho Extension. This is the first comprehensive management guide for pastures and grazing in the Northwest.

Accomplishments/Milestones

PASTURE AND GRAZING MANAGEMENT IN THE NORTHWEST is a Pacific Northwest Extension Publication PNW 614. There are 17 chapters and a glossary by 36 authors from Cooperative Extension, USDA Agricultural Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, and a private consultant. Authors are located in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and West Virginia. The 208 page document edited by Glenn E. Shewmaker and Mylen G. Bohle is published by the University of Idaho Extension. This is the first comprehensive management guide for pastures and grazing in the Northwest. Proofs were approved on December 18, 2009 and the book is in the process of being printed, thus the copyright date of 2010. Below are the contents of the guide book.

Pasture and Grazing Management in the Northwest

Edited by Glenn E. Shewmaker and Mylen G. Bohle

Pacific Northwest extension publications are produced cooperatively by the three Pacific Northwest land-grant universities: Washington State University, Oregon State University, and the University of Idaho.

Published by University of Idaho Extension, Moscow, Idaho 83844-2338
© 2010 by the University of Idaho
All rights reserved. Published 2010

This publication was partially funded by Western SARE Professional Development Program Grant EW05-12.

To order additional copies: In Idaho, call (208) 885-7982, e-mail calspubs@uidaho.edu, or fax (208) 885-4648
In Oregon, call (541) 737-2513, fax (541) 737-0817, or go online http://extension.oregonstate.edu
In Washington, call (800) 723-1763 or go online http://pubs.wsu.edu

Contents

Introduction – 1
C. Cheyney and G. Shewmaker
Chapter 1 Pasture Resources, Goals, and Planning – 3
S. Williams and S. Baker
Chapter 2 Species Selection and Grazing Management Guidelines – 7
D. Ogle, L. St. John, and K. Jensen
Chapter 3 Soils, Fertility, and Nutrient Management for Pastures – 21
G. Shewmaker, R. Koenig, D. Horneck, M. Bohle, G. Cardon, and S. Jensen
Chapter 4 Pasture Renovation, Planting, and Establishment – 31
B. McLain, S. Fransen, and G. Shewmaker
Chapter 5 Growth, Development, and Defoliation Responses of Pasture Plants – 41
S. Fransen and T. Griggs
Chapter 6 Principles of Pasture Irrigation -53
H. Neibling, M. Bohle, and C. Falen
Chapter 7 Weed Management – 67
R. Whitesides and M. Bouck
Chapter 8 Insect, Mite, and Related Pests of Pacific Northwest Pastures – 73
G. Fisher, A. Dreves, M. Bohle, and D. Hannaway
Chapter 9 Disease and Nematode Management – 79
O. Neher
Chapter 10 Nutritional Needs of Grazing Animals – 91
C. Engel, T. Fife, and J. Hall
Chapter 11 Pasture Plant Composition and Forage Nutritional Value – 107
T. Griggs, J. Church, and R. Wilson
Chapter 12 Health Considerations for Grazing Animals – 119
D. Cash, A. Hulting, D. Hannaway, and M. Bohle
Chapter 13 Foraging Behavior and Grazing Management – 133
K. Crane, J. Glaze, and G. Shewmaker
Chapter 14 Grazing Systems and Methods – 139
T. Griggs, G. Shewmaker, and J. Church
Chapter 15 Grazing Cell Design and Installation – 149
J. Gerrish and C. Cheyney
Chapter 16 Estimating Forage Production, Monitoring, and Evaluating the Grazing System -161
G. Shewmaker, B. Gillaspy, S. Fransen, T. Griggs, and L. Hooper
Chapter 17 Economics and Risk Management in Grazing Systems -177
W. Gray and M. Bohle
Glossary -195
References -200
Authors -204
Color plates follow page 204

Pasture Tools
Three spreadsheets were developed to assist producers, extension, and advisors. The Pasture ruler calibrations.xls and Idaho RPM calibration.xls spreadsheets assist in calibrating the pasture stick, rising plate meter, and falling plate meter. The Grazing wedge.xls spreadsheet allows forage biomass records to be kept and is easily used to create a grazing wedge, which graphically displays the amounts of available forage at any one time. These are down-loadable from the following web site: http://www.extension.uidaho.edu/forage/

Summarization of pasture data has progressed with publication of the following abstract:

Hooper, Laura, G.E. Shewmaker, and T.C. Griggs. 2008. Relationship of sward height and herbage mass for orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) in a pasture system. Abstract, 61st Annual Meeting Society for Range Management, 27-31 January 2008, Louisville, KY.

More complete summarization of forage prediction data was completed in a Master of Science Thesis by Laura Hooper in May 2007, University of Idaho.

Shewmaker,G.E., L.K. Hooper, and T.C. Griggs. 2010 (in press). Predicting herbage mass in irrigated orchardgrass. In Proceedings IV National Conference on Grazinglands, 13-15 December 2009, Sparks, NV; Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

The pasture monitoring form and guide; and the PASTURE AND GRAZING MANAGEMENT IN THE NORTHWEST book should serve as good resources for Cooperative Extension, USDA and Natural Resources Conservation Service, crop advisors and producers. We expect extensive use in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Utah. This is the first comprehensive management guide for pastures and grazing in the Northwest.

Collaborators: