Interseeding Forage Kochia in Established CRP Land for Enhanced Livestock and Wildlife Utilization

View the project final report

Commodities

• Agronomic: general hay and forage crops

Practices

• Animal Production: feed/forage
• Crop Production: intercropping
• Education and Training: extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research
• Natural Resources/Environment: habitat enhancement, wildlife
• Production Systems: integrated crop and livestock systems

In the 8-10 years that Ron Harper of Levan has worked with forage kochia, he has found that the plant is a good source of winter feed for cattle and a wide variety of wildlife and birds. To fill a gap in research on establishing forage kochia in existing stands of grass, pasture or rangeland, Harper will test several techniques of interseeding forage kochia on established dryland pastures and rangelands. His test plots will consist of 20 strips, each a mile long and 47 feet wide and separated by 200-300 feet to reduce the possibility of wind and water erosion. He’ll use different ground preparation techniques and different methods for planting the seed. Each method will be repeated five times because of the varied slopes and soil types. Harper hopes that establishing forage kochia on his pasture and rangeland will ensure healthier cattle and allow him to cut back on supplemental winter feeding. It will also improve the existing habitat for wildlife grazing.