Whole System Approach to Integrated Crop/Livestock Production to Enhance Soil Health and Profitability of Cropping and Livestock Systems in the Northern Great Plains

View the project final report

Commodities

• Agronomic: corn, wheat
• Animals: bovine

Practices

• Animal Production: grazing management
• Crop Production: cover crops, cropping systems, nutrient cycling, relay cropping
• Education and Training: decision support system, demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, workshop
• Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns
• Production Systems: holistic management, integrated crop and livestock systems
• Soil Management: nutrient mineralization, soil analysis, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, soil quality/health

The Northern Great Plains (NGPs) is an area where cover crop establishment can be risky due to short growing seasons and/or limited water. With the short growing season also comes increased land-use competition between crop and livestock enterprises. This study aims to study cover crop and livestock integration in a comprehensive manner so that thorough economic, soil health, and livestock performance variables can be measured during the process of adopting cover crop grazing. The project enlists experts in each topic area to ensure the project is conducted appropriately for each discipline represented. The project will accelerate the outreach of cover crop and livestock integration through the use of cafe talks, workshops, with a farmer-focus. Demonstrations are simultaneously occurring on-farm to test the adoptability of cover crop grazing on a commercial scale.

Thus far the project is proceeding to accomplish the original scope, however it will take more time than initially believed. The Covid-19 pandemic greatly reduced the ability to conduct outreach in 2020. The plan is to proceed with tours and workshops in 2021. The research objectives will also still be achieved with the new timeline.

1). Evaluate an integrated crop/livestock management strategy of backgrounding weaned calves under a double or relay-cropping system by grazing cover crop and crop residues after cash crop harvest.

2). Evaluate the effect of cover crops and grazing livestock on soil health under a no-till system.

3). Conduct an economic analysis to evaluate the financial impacts of an integrated crop/livestock system in the NGPs.

4). Create public awareness about integrated crop/livestock systems in the NGPs across the state by establishing demonstrations sites and performing outreach.