High-tannin pasture plantings

High-tannin pasture plantings

Summary

Plants high in condensed tannins have been shown in numerous studies to help reduce the population of Haemonchus Contortus. This parasite can be a serious threat to small ruminant animals. These plants have been grown and used in the Southern United States for many years, but very little in the Northeast. This project will evaluate the ability to grow Sericea lespezda and Big Trefoil Lotus uliginosus, also known as L. pedunculatus in the Northeast. We are evaluating the plantings to see if they will survive Maine winters and be able to be grown as a perennial in pasture or whether they die and could only be used as an annual crop.

Objectives/Performance Targets

This project is evaluating biomass production with .25 meter sq. plot sample harvesting. Dry Matter levels will determined by drying the samples in the microwave. Using randomized complete block design, we will plant 10’x10’ plots of each species alone and each in combination with perennial rye. These plantings will be done at MOFGA’s Common Ground Education center.

At the cooperating farms, 1/2 acre strips of trefoil and lespedeza were tilled and broadcast seeded at the 4 lb./acre and 25lbs./acre rate.   When the plants are established, the farms will graze the strips for 1-3 days depending on the plant population. These grazing will be on the same schedule as the manual harvests.

Accomplishments/Milestones

On the MOFGA Common Ground Fair site the plots described above were planted.

5/28 Tilled and cultivated
6/2 Tilled and cultivated
6/6 Tilled and planted Buckwheat
6/27 Tilled in Buckwheat
7/7 planted planted Lespedeza and Trefoil by hand

On Little Falls Farm ½ acre plots were planted

5/14/14 tilled area to be seeded.
5/15seeded Lespedeza and Trefoil by hand
5/15packed seed in with Brillion seeder
Mid June, mowed both, Mid August, mowed both, Spaded p/o each planting 

On Hamilton Farm 1/8 acre area was planted

5/14, and 28 Tilled area to be seeded
6/1/14 Seeded Lespedeza and Trefoil by hand

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Every planting was heavily impacted by weed pressure. The MOFGA area had been in hoop house production for the previous 4 years, there was a wide variety of weeds. Little Falls farm had been a covercrop area planted in oats the year before and the primary weed was Virginia copperleaf. This weed must have come with the oat seed since it was never seen on the farm before. Hamilton farm was planted on newly tilled ground and also had a variety of weeds.

It became very obvious that because of the very small seed size of both the trefoil and lespedeza, the impact of weed pressure can be very significant. It is important to have a clean well prepared seed bed in order to get good growth of either plant. 

Little Falls Farm tilled in the majority of the area leaving the areas that exhibited the greatest populations of the trefoil and lespedeza.

We will extend the study another year to  plant again on all previous sites with the addition of a planting at Three Level Farm. 

• Little Falls Farm1
• LFF 2
• LFF 3

Collaborators: