Project Overview
Commodities
- Agronomic: clovers, grass (misc. perennial), hay, medics/alfalfa
- Animals: bovine, sheep
Practices
- Animal Production: feed/forage, grazing management, grazing - multispecies, grazing - rotational, manure management, pasture fertility, rangeland/pasture management
- Crop Production: fertilizers, nutrient management, organic fertilizers
- Education and Training: demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer
- Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns
- Soil Management: composting, organic matter, soil analysis, soil microbiology, soil quality/health
Proposal abstract:
Project Focus
Healthy, fertile soils are the foundation for forage production and an essential component in maximizing forage quality and productivity. However, fertilizer applications can be a major expense for producers, many of whom are working with tight margins and looking for ways to reduce expenses. As a result, a growing number of forage and livestock producers throughout the Northeast are interested in alternative ways to provide fertility for forage systems other than commercial fertilizers. In the 2020 Maryland Forage Needs Assessment, producers listed ‘high fertilizer costs’ as the second highest factor limiting their ability to successfully improve and/or manage forage production.
Possible alternatives that could be used in place of commercial fertilizer may include manure, poultry litter, compost, or biological amendments. These alternative soil amendments may provide a more economical source of nutrients for forage and livestock producers, allowing them to continue to meet fertility needs to optimize forage growth. Although there is a large body of literature showing success with using different soil amendments on forage crops, there has been limited research evaluating the effect of a wide range of different soil amendments on forage and soil characteristics under both grazing and hay production systems, particularly in the Northeast region.
Solution and Approach
A comprehensive analysis evaluating different soil amendments is necessary for producers to feel confident in deciding which fertility strategy will be most successful and most economical for their operation. The objective of this project is to compare forage yield, forage quality, economics, botanical composition, grazing selectivity, soil fertility, and soil health metrics for different soil amendments under both grazing and hay production systems. Soil amendments will be evaluated against a no-fertility control and will include commercial fertilizer, poultry litter, manure, compost, and a biological amendment. Amendments will be applied as replicated treatments onto established, cool-season perennial forages under both grazing and hay production systems and evaluated over multiple locations and growing seasons to account for annual weather variability. Forage yield, forage quality, botanical composition, soil fertility, soil health, grazing preferences, and economics will be measured within each system. An economic analysis will be completed to compare the inputs, outputs, and relative success of each treatment.
As the study progresses, producers will be invited to an annual field day at the research site. Preliminary results will be shared and producers will be invited to provide feedback and discuss research findings. Two producers interested in soil health and alternative fertility sources will be recruited to serve as on-farm education sites and will each host an on-farm field day. At the conclusion of the study, results will be disseminated to producers through a combination of direct (farm visits, field days, meetings, demonstrations) and indirect (articles, webinars, videos) methods.
Project objectives from proposal:
The objective of this project is to compare forage yield, forage quality, economics, botanical composition, grazing selectivity, soil fertility, and soil health metrics for different soil amendments. A growing number of Northeast forage and livestock producers are interested in alternative ways to improve soil health and fertility besides the use of commercial fertilizers; possible alternatives may include the use of poultry litter, manure, compost, or biological amendments. This project will evaluate these four different soil amendments against commercial fertilizer and a no-fertility control under both grazing and hay production systems to help producers make economical, research-based fertility decisions.