1988 Annual Report for LNC88-013
Evaluation of Integrated Low-Input Crop-Livestock Production Systems
Summary
Objectives:
1) Determine the carrying capacity, animal performance, and unique management needs of beef
cows and sheep supported by low-input crop production systems.
2) Compare economic return of low-input farms from crops vs. crops-livestock production
systems.
3) Quantify nitrogen and carbon movement and effects from removing crop products and
returning manure to low-input cropping systems.
4) Evaluate the relative effectiveness and economics of mechanical fly control vs. conventional
chemical fly control for beef cows.
Methods:
Production coefficients for a low-input cropping system were compared under conservation and
conventional tillage methods in a cropping system study at the North Dakota State University
(NDSU) Carrington Research Extension Center. The four-year rotation consisted of equal
acreages of hard red spring wheat, sweetclover, corn and soybeans. Manure applications and soil
analysis were conducted at this site. Ruminant rations utilizing large amounts of residue were
evaluated. Beef cow/calf performance data was collected at the Livestock Unit of the NDSU
Carrington Research Center, and sheep studies for performance information were conducted at
the NDSU Hettinger Research Center. Fly control studies to compare mechanical fly traps with
chemical ear tags were conducted at cooperator farms and ranches in North Dakota, Missouri,
and Illinois. Farmer cooperators were also involved in the beef and sheep components of the
study. Economic analysis determined the dollar impact of including ruminant livestock in a grain
farming system. The model farm used throughout the study was an average size farm of 1,132
acres in Foster County, North Dakota.
Results:
The addition of a sheep or beef enterprise is possible with little change in the crops grown if
crop residues and co-producers comprise the majority of the ration. This is appealing from the
standpoint of retaining government price supports for the major commodities. It also suggests
that ruminant livestock could be supported on droughts or other short-feed situations as
illustrated by two of the on-farm studies. These findings have another side, however, in revealing
that crop/livestock farms are not obligated to crop rations which might be more conserving of
natural resources. The presence of livestock on the farm only offers the opportunity to diversify
rotations with forage legumes, utilize manure for fertilizer, and create markets for otherwise
unmarketable crops by feeding them. It is concluded that livestock can be a positive addition to
the farm environmentally when fully integrated with the cropping enterprise; crops, rotations,
crop protection and soil fertility strategies should all reflect the influence of the livestock
component.
Before expecting such mutually beneficial management to be widely practiced, it must be
proven profitable. There were no surprises in finding labor requirements to increase by 56
percent. More difficult to define was the additional skill and knack for managing livestock
which is required. Real income increased with livestock and was highly influenced by the initial
investments in breeding stock and facilities. Starting a ewe flock required less than half the
capital investment of starting out in beef cattle, a fact which several years ago resulted in an
active sheep development program in North Dakota. Among the other economic findings,
perhaps the most significant was the reduction in year-to-year income variability which
accompanies a diversified crop/livestock farm. The coefficient of variation for income dropped
nearly in half with the addition of a livestock enterprise.
Potential Contributions and Practical Applications:
The reintroduction of ruminant livestock operations, such as beef or sheep, could encourage
sod-based crops in rotation for hay and forage. Sod-crops in rotation with cash grains have the
potential to greatly lessen soil erosion, serve as soil-builders by improving soil structure, and if
leguminous, reduce dependency upon nitrogen fertilizers, and usually reduce herbicide use since
hay crops rarely require selective weed control. In turn, having ruminant livestock on the farm
provides the ability to utilize drought stricken, hail damaged, or frosted crops as inexpensive
feed. A broader distribution of livestock across the landscape offers the potential to transform
manure from an environmental contaminant into an attractive fertilizer. And lastly, livestock
also diversifies the marketing opportunities beyond crop commodities and provides a means of
more fully utilizing non-crop season labor.