Forage-based approaches for improving profitability and ecosystem services of dairy farms in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania

Forage-based approaches for improving profitability and ecosystem services of dairy farms in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania

Summary

University of New Hampshire (UNH) site:

A field study was established in May 2014 at the UNH Kingman Research Farm. The study includes 13 annual forage crop species and three annual forage crop mixtures. The “summer-available” forage species and associated mixture are warm-season annual grasses and forbs including BMR sorghum-sudangrass, teff (Eragrostis tef), millet (Pennisetum glaucum), oats (Avena sativa), buckwheat, and chickling vetch (Lathyrus sativus). These “summer-available” treatments were seeded in late spring in a randomized block with four replications. The fall- and spring-available mixture/component monoculture treatments were established in the summer and fall of 2014, respectively, using the same approach described above. The “fall-available” monocultures and mixture includes six species: forage radish (Raphanus sativus), oats, rape (Brassica napus var. napus), wheat (Triticum aestivum), triticale (Triticale hexaploide), and sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea). The “spring-available” monocultures and mixture includes five species: wheat, triticale, barley (Hordeum vulgare), cereal rye (Secale cereal), and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa).

Pennsylvania State University (PSU) site:

Agronomic Research Component: A field experiment was established in the fall of 2013 to examine the impact of fall cover crops on forage yield, forage quality and soil health. Fall treatments included no cover, spring oats, spring oats/triticale, rye, two triticale treatments, and winter barley. Corn has been planted following the no cover, oats, triticale, and rye treatments. Forage sorghums have been planted following the later soft dough harvest treatments. In the fall of 2014, the small grain alternative forage treatments have been planted again. These data will provide some background for outreach activities in the winter and spring. In addition, we have established a small forage sorghum study to evaluate two varieties, seeding rates and nitrogen levels.

Animal Research Component: Approximately 60 tons of each, triticale and barley forages, were ensiled in Ag bags (spring 2014) but maturity of the harvested forage was not optimal. Therefore, it was decided to conduct the planned animal experiments with these forages in 2015.

On-farm Demonstration Trials: Two farms have been set up to demonstrate the potential of alternative forage production

Objectives/Performance Targets

The project outreach and research components are advancing as planned. A survey and outreach activities such as presentations, video, and popular-press articles have been delivered. Demonstration research sites in commercial farms have been set up in PA. Winter and spring outreach events are in the works as our outreach component evolves and expand. Agronomic research experiments are underway and preliminary results are emerging (see below). Animal trials (confinement and grazing) will be conducted in 2016.

Accomplishments/Milestones

The pasture grazing season in northern New England is relatively short due to the region’s long winters and short growing season. Here, and in other northern regions, the short grazing season is often further constrained by a “summer slump” period when hot and dry weather conditions reduce the productivity of perennial cool-season grasses These critical periods of low forage productivity and availability—early spring, mid-summer, and late fall—represent potential niches that could be filled by annual forage crops grown as monocultures or mixtures (Figure 1). Such crops could supplement forage availability during periods of deficiency, effectively extending the grazing season and thereby reducing the need for purchase of off-farm feed. Mixtures are included in the study to determine whether there may be benefits, in terms of productivity, stability, or weed suppression compared to the same species grown as monocultures. Specific information about the outreach and research components of the project are presented below:

Alternative Forage Crops Survey:

A survey about the use of alternative forage was distributed to 11 organic dairy farmers from NH, PA, ME, VT, RI, and NY during the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA) Field Days and Annual Meeting, which was held at the Stonewall Farm in Keene, NH (September 25-26). We found that eight out of the 11 farmers who completed the survey had experience with alternative forage crops such as oats, turnips, sorghum, sorghum sudangrass, and millet fed as pasture and/or baleage/hay. Farmers’ contact information were collected and farmers will be added to our database in order to enhance our outreach efforts.

UNH Site:

The field study was established in May 2014 at the UNH Kingman Research Farm in Madbury, NH. Soils at the site are well-drained, Charlton and Hollis-Charlton fine sandy loams. The study includes 13 annual forage crop species and three annual forage crop mixtures. Each forage species and associated mixture is intended to address one of the three potential critical periods of low forage productivity and availability—early spring, mid-summer, and late fall (Figure 1). The “summer-available” forage species and associated mixture are warm-season annual grasses and forbs including BMR sorghum-sudangrass, teff (Eragrostis tef), millet (Pennisetum glaucum), oats (Avena sativa), buckwheat, and chickling vetch (Lathyrus sativus). These “summer-available” treatments were seeded in late spring in a randomized block with four replications. Prior to forage crop seeding, the field was moldboard plowed and the seedbed was prepared using a Perfecta II field cultivator (Unverferth Equipment, Kalida, OH). Each forage monoculture was seeded using an ALMACO light-duty plot grain drill at the rate recommended for that species. The forage crop mixture was constructed using a substitutive approach (i.e., proportional replacement design) such that seeding rates for each species in the mixture are proportional to their monoculture rate. Therefore, the seeding rates for individual species in the summer-available mixture are determined by dividing each recommended seeding rate by the total number of species in the mixture (i.e., six). This approach minimizes potentially confounding effects of a higher overall seeding rate in the mixture and preserves the ability to use well established intercropping indices such as the land equivalent ratio. Individual plot size is 1.8 x 6.1 m. No fertilizers or pesticides were applied to any of the experimental plots during the duration of the experiment; however, compost was applied to the entire site in spring 2014 prior to the establishment of the experiment.

The fall- and spring-available mixture/component monoculture treatments were established in the summer and fall of 2014, respectively, using the same approach described above. The “fall-available” monocultures and mixture includes six species: forage radish (Raphanus sativus), oats, rape (Brassica napus var. napus), wheat (Triticum aestivum), triticale (Triticale hexaploide), and sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea). The “spring-available” monocultures and mixture includes five species: wheat, triticale, barley (Hordeum vulgare), cereal rye (Secale cereal), and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa). The 13 annual forage crop species examined in this study were chosen because they are potentially useful forage crops for the Northeast and because they represent different plant functional groups (cool- and warm-season legumes, brassicas, and grasses), and therefore different potential agroecological niches.

Forage composition and productivity and weed abundance were measured in the “summer-available” and “fall-available” treatments at two time points, one time point aimed at maximizing forage quality (just prior to flowering/heading out) and a second time point corresponding to peak biomass for each of the three mixtures and their component monocultures. Thus, data collection occurred in July/August for the “summer-available” treatments, and late October for the “fall-available” treatments. Samples will be collected in early May 2015 for the “spring-available” treatments that were planted in fall 2014. To determine how the forage crop treatments affect water and light availability to weeds, we also measured soil moisture and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) at several points during the growing season using a Field Scout TDR 300 soil moisture Meter (Spectrum Technologies Inc.) and an AccuPAR 200 ceptometer (Decagon Devices), respectively. At all sampling points, forage crop and weed community biomass was/will be harvested to ground level from three 0.25 m² quadrats placed randomly within each plot. Plant biomass was/will be sorted to species, dried to constant weight at 60^oC, and weighed to the nearest 0.01g.

Forage crop biomass, weed abundance, and soil moisture and light data from the summer- and fall-available treatments will be analyzed with analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the MIXED procedure in SAS (Little et al. 1996). Treatment means will be assessed using Tukey’s HSD test. One sample t-tests will be used to determine whether the mixtures “over-yield” relative to their component monocultures. Nonparametric multivariate analysis of variance (perMANOVA) will be used to assess forage crop treatment effects on weed community response variables (McCune and Grace 2002) using PC-ORD Ver. 6.02 (McCune and Medford 2006). Data collected in spring 2015 from the “spring-available” treatments will be analyzed in the same fashion. The entire experiment will be replicated in adjacent sites in 2015 and 2016.

At the UNH Organic Dairy Research Farm we are testing the performance and grazing potential of each of the seasonal alternative forage crop mixtures. The “spring-available” mixture was planted in fall 2014 on a one acre paddock adjacent to an identical “control” paddock that was not seeded with the mixture. Prior to seeding, the paddock was strip-tilled with a Unverferth 4-row Ripper-Stripper (Unverferth Equipment, Kalida, OH). Following tillage, the forage crop mixture was planted with a Great Plains no-till drill (Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc., Salina, KS). The “summer-available” mixture will be established in a similar manner in spring 2015 on an adjacent paddock. In summer 2015 we will use the same approach to establish the “fall-available” mixture in the same paddock used for the “spring-available” mixture. Forage-level data that we will collect in each paddock prior to grazing will include total herbage productivity and species composition in both the treatment and control paddocks. In the treated paddock, we will make additional measurement in both the strip-tilled rows and untilled inter-rows in order to assess the effect of tillage on forage crop mixture establishment and productivity. Immediately after each sampling period, herbage samples will be sorted to species, dried, and weighed. The entire study will be repeated in fall 2015-2016. Herbage productivity and composition data will be compared between the treated and control paddocks and across grazing periods using years as the unit of replication.

PSU Site:

Agronomic Research Component. A field experiment was established in the fall of 2013 to examine the impact of fall cover crops on forage yield, forage quality and soil health. Fall treatments included no cover, spring oats, spring oats/triticale, rye, two triticale treatments, and winter barley. Oats were harvested in the fall, rye and one triticale treatment were harvested at the flag leaf stage, and one triticale and barley treatment were harvested at the soft dough stage. Corn has been planted following the no cover, oats, triticale, and rye treatments. Forage sorghums have been planted following the later soft dough harvest treatments. In the fall of 2014, the small grain alternative forage treatments have been planted again. These data will provide some background for outreach activities in the winter and spring. In addition, we have established a small forage sorghum study to evaluate two varieties, seeding rates and N levels. Our yield results from the alternative crop trial are shown in Table 1. This data has shown that some of the double cropping alternatives have resulted in higher annual yields, while providing winter soil cover at the same time.

Animal Feeding Component. In spring 2014, the PSU team worked in collaboration with the University’s Farm Operations and Services Unit to produce triticale and barley silages for the project. Approximately 60 tons of each, triticale and barley forages were ensiled in Ag bags, but maturity of the harvested forage was not optimal. Dry matter at ensiling was 50-51% for both forages. The chemical analyses showed values typical for mature forage: crude protein content was 7.3% and 9.1% and neutral-detergent fiber content was 62% and 55%, for triticale and barley, respectively. Therefore, it was decided that it is counterproductive to conduct the planned animal experiments with these forages and that ensiling of these forages will be repeated in 2015. In addition, it was decided to replace barley with wheat. Whole-crop barley for silage is not typical forage for the Northeast, whereas whole-crop wheat for silage is commonly grown by dairy farmers in Pennsylvania and the Northeast.

In the fall of 2014, the project team, again in collaboration with Penn State’s Farm Operations and Services Unit, produced approximately 140 tons of brown midrib (BMR) sorghum silage and 120 tons of whole-crop oats silage (see pictures 1 and 2). Dry matter of the forages at the time of ensiling was 30 and 33%. Analyses of forage samples before ensiling showed that the forages were harvested within the desired plant maturity. These silages will be used to conduct a production and metabolism trial with lactating dairy cows in the spring of 2015.

On farm outreach demonstration trials. Two farms in PA have been set up to demonstrate the potential of alternative forage production. On each farm, forage production and quality is being tracked along with production practices to develop case studies of effective management tactics. These will be summarized and the data will be used as part of our winter educational meetings and spring field days. As part of this effort an educational video was developed to supplement traditional winter farmer presentations. The video can be found here:  https://vimeo.com/108127082.

We will be using the video as part of our winter meeting and webinar programming with farmers. We will also be writing newsletter articles and popular press article on the issue of alternative forages. One example of an article recently published was this one on Alternative Forages:  http://www.progressivedairycanada.com/topics/feed-nutrition/alternative-forages-are-taking-hold. An earlier version of the same article was published in 2013.  http://www.progressiveforage.com/forage-types/alfalfa/alternative-forages-are-taking-hold.

• Figure 1
• Table 1
• Picture 1
• Picture 2

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

The project outreach and research components are advancing as planned. For instance, a survey was distributed to 11 organic dairy farmers (see the survey instrument file) from NH, PA, ME, VT, RI, and NY during the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA) Field Days and Annual Meeting, which was held at the Stonewall Farm in Keene, NH (September 25-26). It was found that eight out of the 11 farmers who completed the survey had experience with alternative forage crops such as oats, turnips, sorghum, sorghum sudangrass, and millet fed as pasture and/or baleage/hay. Farmers’ contact information were collected and they will be included in our future events including focus group interviews, additional surveys, and projects workshops in collaboration with the UNH Cooperative Extension. PI Smith presented preliminary results and educational materials about alternative forage crops to approximately 45 attendees at the UNH Kingman Farm Twilight Meeting organized by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station in September 16.

Two farms in PA have been set up to demonstrate the potential of alternative forage production. Data will be used as part of the project winter educational meetings and spring field days. An educational video (https://vimeo.com/108127082) was developed to supplement traditional winter farmer presentations. A popular-press articles about alternative forage crops was published recently and can be found at: http://www.progressivedairycanada.com/topics/feed-nutrition/alternative-forages-are-taking-hold. An earlier version of the same article was published in 2013 and can be found at: http://www.progressiveforage.com/forage-types/alfalfa/alternative-forages-are-taking-hold.

Both UNH and PSU were able to leverage NE SARE funds through hiring of post-doctorate and graduate students. PI Brito hired a post-doctorate student, Dr Simone Frotas dos Reis, who will be involved in the grazing experiments at the UNH Burley-Demeritt Organic Dairy Research Farm. PI Brito also hired a graduate student (M.S. level), Kelsey Juntwait, who will use data from the grazing experiments for her dissertation. In addition, a Ph.D. student from Brazil, Igor Alexandre de Souza, who has been funded by the Brazilian government is also joining the project this coming February and will work under the supervision of PI Brito and Smith for a period of one year. PI Hristov was able to recruit a graduate student (Ph.D. level), Mike Harper, who is working on the project and will be responsible for conducting the planned dairy cow experiments in 2015.

• Survey Instrument

Collaborators: