Working Alternatives to Re-cropping Marginal Lands

Working Alternatives to Re-cropping Marginal Lands

Summary

The operation of the CRP Research and Demonstration Project and farm was completed as planned in 2007, utilizing a student Grazing Intern, three grazing management systems and styles, construction of a pond water access site, providing three on-site adult education field days and four group tours. Data indicated continued success in fall calving operations, fall pasture weaning of spring calves, and successful demonstration of annual grass utilization for renovation of excessive fescue pastures. Rotational grazing management supplied ample forage supply including cool and warm season grasses.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Short Term:
Adult Forage Field Day events:
– None scheduled in 2007 (2 planned for each year).

Pond Water Limited Access:
– One scheduled in 2007.

Grazing Intern employment:
– One student employed in 2007.

Collection of Data from CRP Farm demonstrations:
– Annual Report of results planned.

Grazing School & Annie’s Project:
– None scheduled in 2007.

Intermediate Term:
Warm Season Grass conversion with herbicide in a grazing system:
– One demonstration in 2007.

Warm Season Grass conversion with out herbicide in a grazing system:
– One demonstration in 2007.

Wildlife and Forage compatibility study:
–One research project in 2007.

Grazing Costs Comparison Bulletin:
– Scheduled for 2007 completion.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Short Term:
Adult Forage Field Day events:
– None scheduled in 2007, but three were held in June and August ’07.

Pond Water Limited Access:
– One scheduled in 2007 it was completed July 2007.

Grazing Intern employment:
– Austin Brandt was employed between May – August 2007 as Intern.

Collection of Data from CRP Farm demonstrations:
– see Annual Report included with this report.

Grazing School & Annie’s Project for adult forage education:
– Not scheduled in 2007, planned for 2008.

Intermediate Term:
Warm Season Grass conversion with herbicide:
– One demonstration in 2007 as part of wildlife study.

Warm Season Grass conversion without herbicide:
– One demonstration in 2007 as part of wildlife study

Wildlife and Forage compatibility research study:
–One research project in 2007, see completed printed study.

Grazing Costs Comparison Bulletin:
– Scheduled for 2007 completion (will not be done until 2008)

Future Plans

Short Term:
Adult Forage Field Day events:
– Although we are now ahead of the agreed upon field day events, we still plan to hold two events each year in 2008 and 2009.

Pond Water Limited Access:
– As funds allow, we plan to build a second demonstration pond limited access site in either 2008 or 2009.

Grazing Intern employment:
– Austin Brandt currently plans to return as our summer intern in 2008.

Collection of Data from CRP Farm demonstrations:
– With the exception of the wildlife compatibility study, which had the field work completed in 2007, the balance of the research and demonstration projects that are given in our Annual Report (attached) will be continued in 2008.

Grazing School & Annie’s Project for adult forage education:
– Grazing School is already scheduled for completion in March 2008. In fact, working in conjunction with Iowa NRCS, the Iowa Beef Center, Iowa State University Extension, and Cargill Company, SIFLC is providing four grazing schools across southern Iowa in February and March 2008. These will be held in Corning,Winterset,Chariton, and Pella, Iowa.

Intermediate Term:
Warm Season Grass conversion with herbicide:
– One demonstration will be continued into 2008.

Warm Season Grass conversion without herbicide:
– One demonstration will be continued into 2008.

Wildlife and Forage compatibility research study:
–One research project in 2007, see completed study attached to the printed version of this report from Dr. James Pease of Iowa State University. This field research is done, but another wildlife and grazing compatibility study “Patch-Burn Grazing” is also ongoing at the Middle Grazing System of our CRP Demonstration Farm.

Grazing Costs Comparison Bulletin:
– Scheduled for 2007 completion, this project will be completed in calendar year 2008 or later. Numerous other issues, including the huge difference in the price of grains due to ethanol and other demands have radically changed the pricing structure of rural Iowa agricultural products and production. Because of this, it seems prudent to wait on development of this to a later and more economically stable time to make cost comparisons.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

In a very concerted effort to provide grazing education and opportunity, our Southern Iowa Forage and Livestock Committee had provided three different demonstrations of management style to grazing producers. All can be compared to the typical continuous grazing method with improved results.

Our north grazing system demonstrated smaller paddock, faster rotational grazing on fall calving cows. In conjunction with that, it was also the site for Grazing with Wildlife compatibility study of grassland bird nesting. We demonstrated establishment and grazing native warm season grass (WSG) into existing introduced cool season grass vegetation. Two methods of establishment were used. One was the more traditional method of using glyphosate herbicide to kill existing vegetation prior to seeding. The other method was no-till seeding the WSG into the cool season grass. We utilized the cows and grazing management to control the introduced cool season grass while establishing the native warm season grass.

Using herbicides to control the existing vegetation is a faster method to establish WSG, but it cannot be grazed in the year of establishment. Using cows instead of herbicides to control the existing vegetation provides requires the area to be grazed during the establishment. Using the grazing management takes longer to establish a viable stand of WSG but the stand improved each year of establishment and in the third year we had a good stand of WSG. This method also provides spring and fall grazing due to the cool season grass that is still available in the available forage, but does require a higher level of grazing management.

A producer will have to decide which establishment method will work best in his/her management system. Organic producers may find using the grazing animals to establish the WSG works well in their system. Records were kept of the cattle rotations for an eventual research paper expressing the total success of the effort.

Education efforts were split between on-farm demonstrations, and off-farm conferences. The on-farm education efforts impacted 246 people attending activities at the demonstration farm in 2007.

The transfer of knowledge was much greater by taking the information and experience gain with the on-farm work to conferences, meetings, workshops, etc. In 2007, speakers, exhibits, or displays on the farm activities reached 2,289 people at nine off-farm events. We feel this is a major accomplishment in our educational efforts.

This education brings many benefits to the current and future producers of grazing livestock. First it exposes them to improved methods of management. Different styles of rotational grazing demonstrated show a variety of ways to “do the right thing”. Similarly, the many different styles of livestock watering systems demonstrated (pond limited access, solar pumped, siphon, rural water, etc.) allow people to see directly what works (or does not work well) for us on site. By taking this information off-site to producer meetings, it gives them access to new ideas and viable alternates to consider in management decisions.

Of course, having our Grazing Intern, work directly under our Herdsman was a very small but excellent example of hands-on education. As funds allow in future years, we may be able to add a second part-time Intern as well.

In total production, the three different management areas produced superior results that are outlined in great detail in our attached Annual Report.

The completion of the Wildlife and Grazing Compatibility study and its 42 page report (see attached on the printed version) also outlines in great detail the work and documented scientific study of Dr. James Pease and his Iowa State University research team. We are very happy to be a small but important part of bringing that intellectual knowledge to the research and public policy world.

Collaborators: