Project Overview
FNC97-185
Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 1997: $3,448.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/1997
Region: North Central
State: South Dakota
Project Coordinator:
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Agronomic: corn, millet, grass (misc. perennial), hay
- Animal Products: dairy
Practices
- Animal Production: pasture fertility, grazing - rotational, feed/forage
- Education and Training: on-farm/ranch research, participatory research
- Farm Business Management: whole farm planning, feasibility study
- Soil Management: soil quality/health
- Sustainable Communities: sustainability measures
Summary:
Grass-based dairying, utilizing a rotational grazing system, provides an aternative for family farmers to maximize income and lower costs.
Objective: To demonstrate why rotational grazing of dairy cattle is more efficient than dry-lot methods.
Existing grass pastures wre renovated by frost-seeding legumes. Warm-season annuals were seeded for summer grazing, and fencing was installed for a rotational grazing system.
Results: Seeding and fencing was completed. Due to unforeseen circumstances, only limited grazing was conducted in 1998. The project will be extended to gather additional data.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.