Project Overview
Commodities
- Agronomic: grass (misc. perennial)
- Animals: bovine
- Animal Products: meat
Practices
- Animal Production: pasture fertility, rangeland/pasture management
- Education and Training: demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, study circle
- Production Systems: integrated crop and livestock systems
- Soil Management: organic matter, soil analysis, soil quality/health
- Sustainable Communities: community development
Proposal abstract:
There are over 2 million acres of former strip-mined land in the Eastern United States with poor soil health and low productivity. Bale grazing is a practice that can be used to regenerate these soils in combination with regenerative grazing practices. In this project we will study effects of bale grazing of intact or unrolled bales on soil health and fertility and pasture productivity on two farms in western Pennsylvania in collaboration with Allegheny Grass Fed Cooperative. Experiments will be laid out as randomized complete block designs with three treatments (control, grazing intact bales, and grazing unrolled bales) and three replications. Soil health and pasture productivity will evaluated in the year following bale grazing over two years in two different fields/yr. In our outreach program, we plan to support one break-out/yr at the Western Pennsylvania Grazing Conference, organize 1 field walk per year, organize monthly book discussions via Zoom through Allegheny Grass Fed Cooperative and write one article for Penn State’s Field Crop News and one Penn State factsheet on bale grazing.
Project objectives from proposal:
On previously surface-mined land, this project seeks to evaluate effects of bale grazing on:
- Soil health and fertility
- Pasture productivity
This practice can potentially lead to changes in winter feeding practices that result in improved soil health and pasture productivity without any additional external inputs.