Recipient Organization
TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
TUSKEGEE,AL 36088
Performing Department
Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Project SummaryTuskegee University continues to provide leadership to landowners, tree growers and goat producers in Alabama in agroforestry/silvopasture research involving different types of pines and meat goats. The focus has been in the development of guidelines for integration of meat goats into pine silvopasture systems for the past several years. In the Southeastern United States, the pulpwood market is facing stiff competition from overseas markets making it difficult to generate a profit or even pay for the cost of mid-rotation thinning that are needed to maintain stand vigor, produce sawlogs, and prevent susceptibility to insect attacks and wildfires. Similarly, for socially and historically disadvantaged farmers and cooperatives (SHDFC), animal agriculture continues to be a struggle for making profits from conventional agriculture. Consequently, both farmers and forest landowners are seeking ways to increase their profitability.Providing effective coordinated forestland management strategies to minority landowners pose additional challenges because of multiple land ownership, and differing jurisdictions. There is a need to adequately address these challenges and threats through planned research for sustaining and enhancing forest productivity while conserving soils, biodiversity, water quality and clean air. The meat goat demand is on the upswing in the US but the domestic supply accounts for only 42%. More than 58% of the goat meat demand is met from the imports mainly from Australia, New Zealand and Mexico (USDA/NASS, 2017). Most of the goat producers are small producers in the US. Goat producers especially, SHDFC are seeking profitable production practices that are sustainable and integrated. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in using goats as potential source of income for pine growers with silvopasture systems while awaiting income from timber harvest. However, there are many gaps in our knowledge on the integration of goats into their silvopastoral systems using goats. Tuskegee University George Washington Carver Agricultural Experiment Station has an important role to play in the research and education of scientists, students, farmers, landowners and other stakeholders in the development and enhancement of sustainable goat production practices and goat-silvopastoral systems. Goats are also promoted to reclaim land that has been taken over by undesirable native species as well as non-native invasive species such as multiflora rose, Chinese privet and kudzu, etc. Goats have potential as an alternative tool to control burning to reduce fire hazards in the urban wildland interface and to control understory vegetation in the National Forest.The research outcomes from the Tuskegee University McIntire Stennis Forestry Research Program will provide information for; sustainable vegetation management of grazing lands/woodland and pine silvopasture systems; various goat management methods for vegetation rehabilitation/control in different grazing land settings; use of goats as alternative methods for reducing the costs and environmental impacts of mechanical, chemical and prescribed burning; impacts of goats on soil ecosystems, soil organic matter; demonstration and as well as provide education on appropriate technology for the development of a decision aid system to assist land owners in managing forested lands in an economically and environmentally sound manner; and the economic potential of the proposed systems in the Southeastern United States.
Animal Health Component
60%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
60%
Developmental
30%
Goals / Objectives
ObjectivesMcIntire Stennis Forestry Research Project will focus on the following objectives in the next four years (2017-2021):Objective # 1: Use of Small Ruminants in Sustainable Tree Production SystemObjective # 2: Evaluate goat performance, feed efficiency, methane gas emission and rumen microbial diversity under agroforestry in pine silvopasture system using goatsObjective # 3: Use Meat Goats for Vegetation Management under Pine Plantations Objective # 4: Establishment of a Research, Teaching and Outreach Demonstration Site for Agroforestry in a Pine Silvopasture System Objective # 5: Evaluate socio-economic impact of using meat goat in a pine silvopasture system
Project Methods
Objective # 1: Use of Small Ruminants in Sustainable Tree Production SystemSilvopasture plots will be maintained for year-round forage production for animals leveraging with the other funded projects. Selected warm- and cool-season grasses, legumes, and forbs will be grown in the silvopasture plots. Available forages will be grazed rotationally with selected small ruminant breed and species. Animals' live weight, body condition score, and FAMACHA score will be measured in each month. Trees in the plots where animals are kept will be observed everyday for possible debarking, and a detailed observation will be made after each rotational grazing. Similar studies will be conducted in woodlands starting in Year 2 using the same animals from silvopasture studies.Fatty Acids, phenolics, saponins, proteins, fibers, minerals and vitamins will be determined according to standarda prpcedures.Random composite soil samples will be collected from each study area with respect to treatments applied from silvopastures, grazed woodland plots, and the control woodland (no access to grazing animals) with soil augers.Growth (height and diameter at 4.5 ft.) of pine trees present in different management systems: silvopasture, woodland grazing, and control (woodland - no grazing) will be measured in late spring each year and compared among the systems.Objective # 2: Evaluate goat performance, feed efficiency, methane gas emission and rumen microbial diversity under agroforestry in pine silvopasture system using goatsExperiment I (goats grazing into silvopasture): We plan to plant (6 plots; 2 rep. x 3 plots x 1.0 ac) sunn hemp (SH), Sericea lespedeza (SL) and its multi-combinations (SH+SL) for summer forage system, and crimson clover (CC), hairy vetch (HV), and CC + HV for winter forage systems, respectively. No-till drill will be applied to silvopasture system, with the seeding rate of 30 to 40 pounds per acre. Twenty-four Kiko-cross growing goats (n = 8) will be utilized for summer and winter grazing during year 1 and 2, respectively. Forage biomass, chemical composition changes, botanical composition, animal productivity, and tree growth (canopy and diameter) of each group will be measured.Experiment II (cattle and goats grazing in silvopasture): Twelve 1 year old growing cattle (n = 2 x 6 plots) will be allocated randomly assigned to three treatments with 2 replicates during summer and winter seasons. The variables measured will be conducted including animal performance, optimal stocking rate, soil minerals composition changes, soil microbial community changes, tree growth (tree canopy and diameter), and fecal egg counts (FEC) for cattle and goats. Blood plasma chemistry, immune responses, and gastrointestinal parasites load in cattle and goats using FAMACHA reading and FEC in monthly intervals will be measured. Data will be analysed using the GLM procedure of SAS.Specific Objective ii: Assess the impact of multi-culture grasses, and grasses in combination with legume forage systems on the physical, chemical and biological components of the soil ecosystem, pine tree growth, and animal health under the silvopasture system; Grid soil samples will be taken at a specific point, either within the grid cell or at intersection points between grid cells, consisting of 8-10 cores per sample taken within a 10-foot radius with 5-6 inches depth in each sample.The variables measured will be conducted including soil physical parameters (bulk density and gravimetric moisture content), soil compaction, soil chemical parameter (soil pH and organic matters), soil enzyme activity, and soil microbial community, structure analyses. Soil bioinformatics for community analysis will be applied.Specific Objective iii: To identify and assess economic characteristics and optimum economic return of different grazing systems under the silvopasture system;Tree growth will be measured and economic analysis of each grazing system will be conducted. This will provide an insight in understanding of which year-round grazing system is more profitable (silvopasture vs. conventional pasture system).Objective # 3: Use of Meat Goats for Vegetation Management under Pine PlantationsThe proposed study area consists of 38 acres of land that was historically used for pasture but is now covered with kudzu, Chinese privet, mimosa, eastern red cedar, wisteria, volunteer pines, and a variety of woody native, non-native and invasive plants. Two acre plots will be used for each treatment. Four treatments will be used to study the impact of using goats for vegetation control for preparing sites for pine plantation. The treatments will include controlled burning, mechanical control, herbicides and use of goats. At the end of grazing, the degree of defoliation (less than 6' high) will be determined and growth reduction of target species determined. Plant species composition and woody species canopy will be quantified by establishing permanent line transects. The plant species composition and plant biomass will be characterized for each plot at the beginning (before animals are stocked), and end of the grazing season (when animals are removed from their respective plots) for the entire project period. Baselines will be established in each treatment replication to locate transects for characterizing species composition and percentages of ground cover categories.Vegetation measurements will include biomass production (dry matter) and quality (digestible organic matter, crude protein) of forage/browse sampled from twenty randomly selected 0.25-m2 quadrats/plot. The tree growth and survival measurements will include diameter at breast height (DBH), height and volume index annually to study the impact of treatments imposed. The composition of ground cover and vegetation will be measured by the point intercept method (USDA-FS, 1996) using an optimal point projection device at the beginning and prior to the pine plantation. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index will be calculated for understory, midstory and overstory plant species present at the beginning and at the end of the foraging period. Herbaceous biomass will be determined by hand clipping 10 0.25-m2 quadrats/paddock and dried samples will be analysed for crude protein, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent lignin. The forage biomass, tree growth and vegetation re-growth data will be analysed across treatments and between years using the Mixed Procedure in SAS 9.1 with replication as a random factor. Soil samples will be taken and soil analysis will be conducted. The costs of each treatments and effectiveness of each treatment on eliminating undesirable species will be comparedObjective # 4: Establishment of a Research, Teaching and Outreach Demonstration Site for Agroforestry in a Pine Silvopasture SystemA long term permanent research, education and outreach Agroforestry demonstration plot will be established using proven research data from the studies for student training and demonstration for farmers. The site will consist of 2-acre plots of the different management systems.Objective 5: Evaluate socio-economic impact of using meat goat in a pine silvopasture systemThe evaluation will employ two interrelated methodologies to assess the economic impact of the different control systems. Cost-benefit analysis will be used to assess the net benefit of the different control systems and an enterprise optimization model will be used to assess the control system that maximizes profit. Data will be collected during the five years on the cost and return associated with controlled burning, mechanical control, herbicides, and goat as browsers as mentioned in objective three. The data will be used to develop four standard enterprise budgets.