Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Beef cattle production on winter wheat pasture systems significantly contributes to US beef production, yet relies on nitrogen fertilization and does not maximize land use during summer months. The goal of this project is to improve US beef production's environmental and economic sustainability by understanding and educating producers on economically and environmentally beneficial production practices, specifically by increasing the use of summer-grown plants that add nitrogen to the soil and reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizer. The objectives of this project are: 1) Determine the effect of using summer crops to increase soil nitrogen and nitrogen fertilization on forage production and quality, animal production, nitrogen utilization and excretion from cattle, soil nitrogen content, and greenhouse gas emissions; and 2) Quantify the economic implications of these practices; and 3) Educate producers about the economic and environmental benefits of these practices through on-farm demonstrations, traditional/social media outputs, and fact sheets. The results of this project will show a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from grazing systems with the incorporation of crops that increase soil nitrogen planted before winter wheat and provide economic benefits to producers. This project will improve US beef production's environmental and economic sustainability by increasing the production of high-quality forage, reducing environmental impacts, and reducing reliance on nitrogen fertilizer.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The goal of this project is to improve the environmental and economic sustainability of beef cattle production by reducing the input requirements and greenhouse gas emissions of cattle production on wheat pasture systems and to educate producers and the public on production practices that are economically and environmentally beneficial.The objectives of this project are:1. Determine the effect of cover crops containing legumes and nitrogen fertilization on forage production and quality, animal production, and nitrogen utilization and excretion from cattle.2. Determine the effect of cover crops containing legumes and nitrogen fertilization on soil nitrogen sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions.3. Quantify the economic implications of legume-containing cover crops and grazing management practices.4. Educate producers about the economic and environmental benefits of cover crops through traditional and social media outputs, field days, and fact sheets.
Project Methods
This project will explore the two factors of nitrogen fertilizer and summer legume-containing cover crop in winter wheat pasture grazing systems. Half of the experimental pastures will receive no fertilizer, and the other half will be fertilized with urea at a rate prescribed by soil sample analyses. The other factor in the design is summer cover crop. Half of the pastures will be assigned to allow the natural growth of warm-season grasses (predominately crabgrass). The remaining pastures will be planted in approximately May of each year with the following mix: sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea; 16 kg/ha), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata; "iron clay"; 22 kg/ha), brown midrib sorghum-sudan hybrid (Sorghum bicolor; 11 kg/ha), mung bean (Vigna radiata; 11 kg/ha), and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus; 5kg/ha). Data will be collected on the forage quality and quantity in the wheat pasture prior to and after the appearance of the first hollow stem, as well as the summer grazing period. The animal production characteristics will also be evaluated. The flux of N2O, a potent greenhouse gas, will also be evaluated, in addition to soil chemistry variables. These data will culminate in an enterprise budget analysis.