Sustainable Crop/Livestock Systems in the Texas High Plains

Sustainable Crop/Livestock Systems in the Texas High Plains

Summary

Objectives
1. Compare productivity, profitability, and impact on natural resources of continuous cotton systems, all forage-livestock systems, and an integrated cotton-forage/livestock system.
2. Involve local producers and industry in identifying researchable needs, in developing and testing systems of production, in the development of more effective dissemination of information to end users, and enhanced adoption of new technologies.
3. Link this research with sustainable systems research in other ecoregions to increase the base of knowledge and understanding of the principles that apply to integrated systems.

Approach
For the replicated research, a continuous cotton production system is compared with an alternative integrated cotton/livestock system. System 1, the Continuous Cotton system uses a cover crop of wheat planted each autumn at 50 lb/acre in furrow bottoms between listed rows. In spring, wheat is chemically terminated with 0.75 lb a.i. Roundup per acre. Round-up Ready cotton (Paymaster 2326) is planted about the first week in May each year into the raised beds. Cotton is harvested in autumn and following cotton harvest, wheat is again planted into the furrow bottoms between the listed rows.

For the Alternative System, about 50% of the total area was established in the perennial warm-season grass “WW-B. Dahl’ old world bluestem (Bothriochola bladhii). Dormant stockpiled bluestem provides winter grazing by stocker steers supplemented with crude protein. Angus crossbred steers are purchased each autumn (initial body weight about 500 lb) and begin grazing in December or January. Steers continue to graze spring and early summer growth of bluestem until moved to the feedlot for finishing in mid-July. Pastures are allowed to idle until water and nitrogen are applied in late August to promote a seed crop in October and to stockpile forage for the following winter and the next group of stocker steers.

The remainder of this system is equally divided into two paddocks. Rye (Secale cereale L.) for additional grazing by steers is planted in early September. Grazing is discontinued in late March to allow regrowth to provide the cover crop to no-till plant cotton in early May. Rye growth is terminated by Roundup prior to planting cotton. After cotton is harvested in late autumn, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is no-till drilled into cotton stubble. Thus, in each year, rye and wheat are grown in adjacent paddocks with cotton planted after rye. Wheat provides grazing later into spring and this paddock is fallowed until rye is planted the following autumn.

Three years of research have been completed. Results of year 1 reflect establishment of pastures and construction of fencing, the drip irrigation system, cattle watering facilities, and the first year of crop rotations. No cattle were present during the establishment year. During years 2 and 3, steers spent an average of 200 days on pasture and 126 days in the feedlot. Daily gains averaged 1.8 and 3.3 while on pasture and the feedlot, respectively. Although supplemental hay feeding was required during year 2 while pasture became fully established, no hay feeding was needed during year 3. Rye and wheat have respectively provided about 29 and 28 days of grazing each year. Steer grazing days on bluestem averaged 125 with about 50 days more grazing in year 3 than year 2.

Water use by both systems was lower during years 2 and 3 than year 1. Following year 1, the Continuous Cotton System has required about 25% more water per acre than the Alternative System. Water required by the continuous cotton in years 2 and 3 averaged 18.9 inches/acre while overall water required by the alternative system averaged 14.2 inches/acre.

Cotton yields, and inputs required by cotton, have thus far been similar between the two systems but results to date include only years 1 and 2. Total fertilizer and chemical inputs are lower for the Alternative System because the major user of these inputs is the cotton crop and this represents only 25% of the Alternative System. The perennial grass pasture has required only nitrogen and water after establishment. The annual small grains require as much water as cotton.

Economic analysis for the first full production year (year 2) demonstrated a $136.02/acre advantage in net revenues above all costs of production for the Alternative System. Year 3 is currently being summarized.

Collaborators: