Evaluation of Grain Amaranth and Quinoa as Forage Crops to Improve the Sustainability and Profitability of Small Livestock Operations

View the project final report

• 2011 annual report

Commodities

• Agronomic: corn
• Animal Products: dairy

Practices

• Animal Production: feed/forage, feed additives, manure management
• Crop Production: continuous cropping, cover crops, crop rotation, double cropping, organic fertilizers, relay cropping, tissue analysis
• Education and Training: demonstration, extension, on-farm/ranch research
• Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns, marketing management, value added, whole farm planning
• Pest Management: competition
• Production Systems: agroecosystems, holistic management, integrated crop and livestock systems
• Soil Management: soil analysis
• Sustainable Communities: sustainability measures

Alternative forage crops have the potential to increase the sustainability of livestock operations by providing farmers with new cropping options that supply an additional feed source for cattle diets and improve on-farm nutrient balances. The ultimate goal of this project is to change the behavior and practices of cattle farmers by showing them the benefits of planting quinoa and grain amaranth as part of their forage crop rotations. The effectiveness of adding grain amaranth and quinoa to forage production systems will be evaluated through agronomic plot studies, on-farm farmer interviews, and economic assessments. The role of grain amaranth and quinoa as double crops will be evaluated by performing field studies that determine proper planting and harvesting times, crop nutrient uptake and management implications of including these crops as part of an integrated forage production system. The agronomic field trial will consist of a randomized complete block design with four replicates and split-split plot treatments, where planting time of quinoa, phosphorus fertilizer rate, quinoa harvest date and grain amaranth planting date will be the treatment variables to be tested. Quinoa planting dates will consist of two planting times, one frost-seeded planting and one mid-April planting date. Grain amaranth plantings will follow after each quinoa crop is harvested. The information collected during this research study will be made available to producers through field days and extension publications. Economic assessments will be developed to allow farmers to evaluate the financial implications of planting and growing quinoa and amaranth as double crops on their livestock operations.

Agronomic studies will look at the effects of planting times and fertilization rates on the growth and nutrient content of grain amaranth and quinoa to determine the most effective means of integrating grain amaranth and quinoa into Midwestern crop rotations. These agronomic studies will take place at the Purdue University Agronomy Center for Research and Education (ACRE). The treatments will consist of three variables: quinoa planting date and method, quinoa maturity at harvest, and rate of phosphorus application. Quinoa planting date and method treatments will compare planting quinoa via frost-seeded application or drilling quinoa into the soil in mid-April. Quinoa harvest date treatments will focus on determining the appropriate maturity at which to harvest quinoa to maximize forage quality by minimizing neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) in the plant while maximizing yields of protein and biomass. Phosphorus treatments will consist of one and two times the recommended rate of phosphorus to determine the ability of both quinoa and grain amaranth to sequester phosphorus. The nitrogen and potassium fertilization rates will remain the same across treatments. The study will be a randomized complete block design with a split-split-plot treatment structure and four replications. In summary, the treatments will be:
• Quinoa planting date and method
Quinoa planted by frost-seeding in early March
Quinoa planted by a grain drill in mid-April
• Phosphorus fertilization rate
Standard phosphorus rate
Two times the recommended phosphorus application rate
• Quinoa harvest timing
Early – 30 days after planting
Mid – 45 to 60 days after planting
Late – 60 to 80 days after planting

Grain amaranth will be planted approximately one week after harvesting the quinoa at each of the designated harvest treatments. Harvest of grain amaranth for forage will occur at regular intervals prior to soft dough.

Outputs

The main output of this overall research project is the dissemination of the results to cattle farmers and forage growers by means of field days and extension publications.