Progress 10/01/23 to 09/30/24
Outputs
PROGRESS REPORT Objectives (from AD-416): 1. Develop harvested conventional and organic forage systems that optimize productivity, resilience to climate change, and environmental benefits. 1A. Improve soil health and provide greater forage resources in organic cropping systems with cover crops. 1B. Evaluate long-term management strategies that conserve soil and protect water quality, while also optimizing production in pasture and hayfields. 2. Develop grazing management strategies that address animal performance and selection for greater resistance and resilience, health, and well- being within increasing climate changes and extremes. 2A. Improve management practices for livestock grazing endophyte infected tall fescue to ameliorate fescue toxicosis and meet growth potential and minimize health inputs through red clover supplementation. 2B. Develop low input strategies and genetic and genomic selection to mitigate gastrointestinal nematodes and disease in grazing sheep, and select for climatic resilience and robustness. 2C. Improve ecosystem health and increase resistance to environmental pressures with novel grassland system utilizing native warm season grasses. 2D. Reduce carbon output and increase animal welfare and production with silvopasture systems. 3. Develop novel technologies that allow precision management of forage- livestock, row crops, and agroforestry systems. 3A. Develop spatially explicit soil property maps for precision management of forage production on small farms. 3B. Use precision management tools on pasture to detect health issues in livestock. 3C. Develop baseline information on soil-water dynamics and relationships to the performance of forages, crops, livestock, and silvopastoral systems at the farm scale. Approach (from AD-416): Our goal is to increase long-term sustainability of small farms by integrating management of pasture and silvopasture-based livestock systems to augment whole-farm productivity and profitability, encourage crop diversification which spreads biological and financial risk, and enhances ecosystem services. Involving both short- and long-term studies, we will determine practices that provide environmental and economic benefit to small farms. Studies will focus on improving forage and/or livestock production while enhancing soil, landscape and forage attributes at multiple scales. These studies include examining conventional and nonchemical parasite control on sheep production efficiency, grazing management on forage finished beef and lamb, and improving nutrient-use efficiency on forage pastures. Additionally spatial information will be used to understand interactions at multiple scales to develop decision support tools for increasing efficiency for soil-forage system management. We will also continue a long-term study that utilizes controlled watersheds to determine the impacts of various pasture management strategies(rotational grazing, overgrazing, haying, tree buffers) on pasture hydrology and nutrient runoff. To evaluate diversification, we will examine effects of integrating agroforestry management with crop and/or livestock production. This is a new project which replaced project 6020-21310-011-000D, "Sustainable Small Farm and Organic Grass and Forage Production Systems for Livestock and Agroforestry". The field site for the organic cropping systems study has been selected. A plot map was designed based on soil moisture across the field site. The plots have been marked in the field and initial/baseline soil samples have been collected. Subobjective 2A. Improve management practices for livestock grazing endophyte infected tall fescue to ameliorate fescue toxicosis and meet growth potential and minimize health inputs through red clover supplementation. A previously planted red clover plot was harvested and produced 4 bales of red clover. The red clover bales were core sampled. The sample will be sent to the lab for biochanin analysis prior to the initiation of the study. Ewes have been bred to produce lambs to be on study in 2025. All lambs born have been genotyped and a genomic estimated breeding value determined. Data was recorded for body weights at birth, weaning, and post-weaning time points, and fecal egg counts and packed cell volume, body condition scores, and notes on health interventions or losses recorded. In dams, data on udder health 5 and 60 days post-lambing, body weights, condition, coat scores, and fecal egg counts, packed cell volume, and FAMACHA scores were recorded. Notes on foot health were recorded; however, all sheep were treated for foot scald in spring 2024 with antibiotic according to protocol approved by attending veterinarian, and sheep with persistent foot issues were sold. Data were shared with collaborators at USDA ARS, Clay Center, NE, University of Nebraska, and Purdue University for genetic and genomic analyses. The research pastures of the desired forage species have been selected and a plot map has been developed. Pastures have been soil sampled and fertilizer was applied to meet the requirements of the growing forage. Fencing has been installed on all research pastures. The research pastures have been selected for the study and the plot map has been developed. Initial soil samples have been collected. Fencing has been installed on all the pastures. The collections of soil samples started in Spring 2024 and finish in fall 2024. The collected samples have been processed and ready for chemical, biological and physical analysis that will start in the fall. Field experiments were completed and data analyses in progress. The type of soil moisture sensors has been determined. The research sites have been identified and installation will start once the sensors are purchased.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Acharya, R.S., Burke, J.M., Joshi, N.K. 2024. Assessing pollinator seed mix plantings for the presence of undesirable plant species in livestock pasture system. Journal of Entomological Science. https://doi.org/10.18474/ JES23-56.
- Meyer, I., Popp, M.P., Nieman, C.C., Ashworth, A.J., Owens, P.R. 2024. Agronomic and economic productivity of summer annual forage systems under different poultry litter application methods. Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/cft2.20281.
- Ritcher-De-Fores, A.C., Arrouays, D., Libohova, Z., Chen, S., Beaudette, D. E., Bourennane, H. 2024. Revealing topsoil behavior to compaction from mining field observations. Land. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13070909.
- Ricjer-De-Forges, A.C., Arrouays, D., Chen, S., Libohova, Z., Beaudette, D. E., Bourennane, H. 2024. Mapping topsoil behavior to compation at national scale from an analysis of field observations. Land. https://doi.org/10. 3390/land13071014.
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