Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Development Of A Grazing Land Management Education Program For Northern Australia’S Grasslands And Grassy Woodlands, Chris R. Chilcott, M. F. Quirk, C. J. Paton, B. S. Nelson, T. Oxley

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Recognition of the potential to enhance grazing land management to meet the goal of sustainable beef production has been increasing over the past decade. Recognition of the relationship between poor land management and negative off-site environmental impacts, such as soil erosion and a decline in the condition of rivers and adjacent near shore coastal areas from sediment transport, has increased also. This concern has matured somewhat to include the critical link between land condition and production, and the threat to sustainable carrying capacity that comes from declining land condition. Concurrently, interest has increased in optimising the use of pasture, e.g. …

Forage-Animal Production Research Unit (Fapru): Establishment Of A New Usda-Ars Research Location, J. R. Strickland, Glen E. Aiken, Isabelle Kagan, R. D. Dinkins

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Forages are vital to the success of grazing livestock production systems. Forages provide a low cost source of nutrients for animal production (Barnes & Nelson 2003; Ball et al., 1996). Limited fundamental (i.e., genomic, proteomic, metabolomic) research on the effects of environment and management on plant quality and production and the effects of plant metabolites (i.e., nutrients, anti-quality factors, nutraceuticals) on animal performance has hindered our ability to improve the productivity of forage-based enterprises. There is insufficient information for reliable prediction of animal performance in response to plant metabolites. To address these issues, USDA-ARS established FAPRU (Forage-Animal Production Research …

A Systems Approach To Assessing The Viability Of Grazing Legume Systems Across Europe, C. F. E. Topp, C. J. Smith, L. Wu, G. Molle

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Forage legumes are important in grassland farming throughout much of the world because of their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, and hence they are expected to play an increasingly prominent role in low- input grazing farming systems in Europe. Nevertheless, the socio-economic impact of the adoption of the "new" legume based grazing technologies have been poorly researched (Rochon et al., 2004). Thus a methodology has been developed to:

* Assess the on-farm costs and benefits of including different legume crops for animal production;
* Determine the types of management systems and environmental conditions under which forage legumes may play …

Land Stewardship For The 21St Century: Pasture And Livestock Management Workshop For Novices, L. A. Redmon, G. M. Clary, J. J. Cleere, G. W. Evers, V. A. Haby, C. R. Long, L. R. Nelson, F. M. Rouquette Jr., G. R. Smith

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Land ownership patterns in Texas and the southern USA are changing. Since 1994 (Wilkins et al., 2000) consumers interested primarily in recreational purposes have become the predominant owners of rural land. This land ownership change has created potential land stewardship problems associated with natural resource management. Few, if any, new landowners have any training related to the soil-plant-animal interface. New land owners need linkage with subject matter experts from land grant universities in a relaxed instructional setting while providing the opportunity for question and answer sessions. Thus, a programme was developed by a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency team at the Texas …

New Zealand Pastoral Systems: A Current Perspective, F. R. Duder, R. B. Green, W. D. Catto, D. R. Woodfield, B. R. Guy

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

New Zealand's diverse grassland resource of 13.5 M ha of permanent pasture, tussock or alpine grasslands underpin an intensive pastoral industry worth NZ$13 billion in 2004. The pastoral industry involves 37,000 farmers and a service industry of about 215,000 persons. It produces 27 M prime export lambs and 180,000 t of predominantly crossbred wool from 40 M ewes; 13 B litres of milk from 5.2 M dairy cattle; 800,000 t of beef from 4.7 M beef cattle and 33,000 t of venison from 2 M deer. Pastures and forage crops, mostly non- irrigated, are grazed 'in situ' by animals through …

A University Course On Management Intensive Grazing, D. L. Zartman

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Education of new talent in good grassland management is important. Farmer-oriented extension- and outreach- programs do this, but USA university curricula rarely include it. Some livestock production courses contain a segment on grazing management, but there seem to be no credit-bearing, formal courses in USA universities except in the Ohio State University (OSU). Our course teaches management of intensive grazing (MIG) for three credit hours in a quarter system. It has been a popular elective course for the past 6 years. Every year that they have entered, OSU students have won all prizes in the 18-22 age division in the …

Foragebeef.Ca Web Site: A Model For Technology Transfer, Duane H. Mccartney, R. Weisenburger, K. Ziegler, G. Vaillancourt, G. Hutton

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

We live in an age of information overload. As budgets for technology transfer of scientific information and extension education continue to fall, new ways to disseminate agricultural knowledge are needed. Research findings, published in many scientific journals and reports, are seldom readily available to extension agents and farmers. Over time some of this material is lost. This program aimed to locate the best information on various forage and beef topics relative to Canada and the Northern USA and to summarise them in condensed form and in scientific review papers for a web-based site.

Forages For Horses Programmes, G. W. Wilson, R. L. Hendershot, J. Hoorman

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

A survey by the American Horse Council in 1996 showed there were 6.9 million horses in the USA with 1.9 million horse owners and 7.1 million people involved in allied industries. The value of the USA horse industry to the gross national product is $25.3 billion. Nationally, 2.2 % of households own a horse but 4.9 % of households want to own a horse. Ohio's horse industry has 192,000 horses (7th nationally) and generates $776 million per year. Most of the 48,500 homes with horses in Ohio have 2-5 horses with 1-2 ha of land. Many exercise lots and high-use …

Forages For Horses, J. C. Fisher, D. H. Samples, R. A. Sherman

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

According to the 1997 Census of Agriculture, Ohio had 11,668 horse farms. An OSU survey estimated nearly 250,000 horses in Ohio. The large number of horses in the state has prompted many questions from producers to Extension personnel on the topic of improving forage resources. While many horse producers are proficient at equine management, they have not had formal training in forage production and management. Often, traditional agronomic programs don't target this audience. Many horse producers do not have the land mass, and/or experience to utilise large mechanical equipment for renovation and management

The Paired-Paddock Model As An Agent For Change On Grazing Properties Across Southeast Australia, J. Thompf, P. W. G. Sale, Geoffrey Saul

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

From the mid 1970s to the mid 1990s the low productivity of wool and beef producing farms in the high rainfall zone (>550 mm annual rainfall) in south east Australia has been a major contributing factor to the difficulties faced by farmers in this region. This was despite research from the Long-term Phosphate Experiment at Hamilton in south west Victoria indicating that there is considerable potential to increase the productivity and profitability of wool production (Saul, 1994). By implementing the productive pasture technology (PPT) that involves increased rates of fertiliser on pastures containing productive species and increased stocking rates …

Development Of A Toolkit For Participatory Management Of Rural Watersheds In Kenya, L. W. Chiuri, F. K. Lelo, M. W. Jenkins, S. N. Miller

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Effective public participation is a foundation for sustainable watershed management, yet there are no demonstrated methods for or examples of its achievement in tropical semi-arid rural grassland watersheds of Kenya which support critical downstream water services. Within the Sustainable Management of Watersheds (SUMAWA) multidisciplinary international research project, a set of tools has been developed and tested to engage local communities and stakeholders in a dialogue and decision-making process to improve the development and management of the River Njoro Watershed in Kenya and reverse declining water quality and quantity problems. A toolkit manual based on the experience is under preparation for …

Spatio-Temporal Scales Of Animal Grazing In Herding Systems, Hossein Barani

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

A holistic approach is needed for natural resources management and this demands understanding of the role of all the components in a system. Animal grazing is one of the most important processes in rangeland ecosystems. In rangeland utilisation in Iran, the human herder is crucial in achieving sound management. This study focused on the role of the human as a grazier (herder).

Building Decision Tools For Sustainable Grassland Management: A Case Study Of Participatory Research In La Réunion, Sophie Gerbaud, Vincent Blanfort, P. Thomas, Ph. Lecomte, J. P. Choisis

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

During the last 30 years, cattle breeding has developed in La Reunion Island (France, Indian Ocean) with strong support from local authorities and extension structures. The Union des Associations Foncières Pastorales (UAFP) initiated and still sustain a large effort on grassland improvement. During the same period, CIRAD managed different research programmes on agronomic aspects of pasture management). Scarcity of space, the volcanic soil and tropical climatic conditions contributed to repeated forage shortages during the dry season, making forage production a major issue for cattle breeders. In 1991, CIRAD launched a research programme to elaborate decision tools for assessing and improving …

Potential And Constraints For Animal Feed As An Objective Of Poor Farmers In Participatory Research With Multipurpose Forage Crops In Central-America, R. Van Der Hoek, M. Peters, V. Hoffmann

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Multipurpose forage crops can play an important role in improving the environmental and socio- economic sustainability of smallholder production systems in fragile environments. However, since the forage technology development framework has not been sufficiently applicable for poor farmers, adoption of especially legumes has been generally low (Peters et al., 2001). In a participatory research effort with smallholder farmers in Honduras focused at forage based technologies, food security turned out to be the main selection criterion whereas animal feed was secondary. Since animal feed related activities (farmer-led forage seed systems, production of dry season feed) have been identified as promising …

Improvement Of Grassland Through Community Participation In The Middle Awashvalley Of Ethiopia, Ebro Abule, Tesfa Getachew, A. Gezahegn, A. Nigatu, B. Shimeles

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The natural resources of the grassland in the middle Awash valley of Ethiopia are subjected to competing claims: development to generate revenue for the state, conservation of wildlife and wilderness areas, as well as use for local production. The combination of climatic conditions causing drought and the over use of the natural resource can be cited as the primary cause of grassland deterioration in the area. Since the problems of the grasslands are complex and multi-dimensional, they are not amenable to quick and easy fixes. Hence, if sustainable progress is to be achieved, the responsibility for change must be in …

Linking Research To Development In Pastoral Communities Of Northern Kenya: Recent Experiences And Key Findings In Participatory Research Approaches, G. A. Keya, M. Ngutu, A. Adongo, A. O. Adongo, I. Tura

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Over 50% of Kenya's land mass is arid. The mainstay of the local economies of these areas is nomadic pastoralism. Arable agriculture is limited to the few oases and mountain zones. Due to the harsh climate, there are few alternative livelihood options available to the local communities of mostly herders. Efforts to improve agricultural productivity have often been hampered by low adoption of available technologies. This low adoption is linked to many factors, notably the non-involvement of the stakeholders in the research process and the weak linkage between research and extension. To address these shortcomings, new approaches were tested with …

Priority Tree Fodder Species In The Maasai Silvopastoral System Of Kajiado District, Kenya, Evelyne Kiptot

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In an effort to improve pastoral land management systems, donor agencies have spent millions of dollars over the last two decades on research and development programmes. However, most of these programmes have been unsuccessful. The reasons for the failure are increasingly clear. Current thinking argues that more attention needs to be given to local knowledge systems and rural people's participation in development planning and implementation. The involvement of local communities in the research process is critical and has been shown by Ego (2001) to lead to the design of appropriate interventions. The main objective of this study was to elicit …

Participatory Plant Breeding In Uruguay, D. Real, G. A. Ferreira, D. F. Risso, C. Mas

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The introduction of forage legumes into the native pastures of Uruguay is considered an environmentally safe method with which to increase the level of production through the addition of biologically fixed nitrogen. An integrated plant breeding programme was initiated at INIA (National Agricultural Research Institute), Uruguay, with the aim of developing forage legumes able to persist and produce in co-existence with the native (grass dominant) vegetation under cattle and sheep grazing. The programme was conducted in parallel with rhizobial strain selection. During 1998 to 2001 at Glencoe Research Station (32^o 01'32"S lat; 57^o 00^o 39"W long), 326 …

Statistical Precision Of A Replicated Farm Grazing Trial Versus Replicated Paddock Trials, K. P. Vogel, L. E. Moser, D. E. Bauer

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The experimental unit for animal average daily gain (ADG) and gain/ha in grazing trials is the paddock. Grazing trials on research stations often are conducted using small paddocks because animal and land costs restrict the number of treatments, replicates, and animals per paddock. Land and animal restrictions can be reduced by conducting trials on farms using animals provided by cooperating farmers. Farmers typically want only a single replicate on their farms and as result, virtually all on-farm trials in the USA and elsewhere have been un-replicated demonstration trials from which estimates of experimental error cannot be obtained. Farms can be …

Using Adult Learning Principles To Plan Participatory Action Research For Incorporating Ley Pastures In Sustainable Mixed Farming Systems, Cristine Hall

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In the northern grain growing region of Australia, the use of ley pastures (tropical legumes and grasses) can increase soil fertility and restore soil structure on degraded cropping land. This is seen by some researchers as a viable component of a sustainable mixed farming system incorporating crops, pastures and livestock. It has been recognized that the expertise of multiple sources can contribute to successful participatory action research (PAR) (Kemmis & McTaggart 1988) so a workshop was organized as the 'Plan' phase of a research project action learning cycle (ALC) to determine best management principles of incorporating ley pastures in sustainable …

Evaluation Of Narrow-Row Forage Maize In Field-Scale Studies, W. J. Cox, J. H. Cherney, D. J. R. Cherney

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Some dairy producers in the northeastern USA adopted narrow row (0.38 m) maize forage production in the mid-1990s because of its 5% dry matter (DM) yield advantage (Cox & Cherney, 1998). These dairy producers, however, continued to plant forage maize at high plant densities (125,000 plants/ha) under high N fertility (225 kg N/ha), despite research that indicated that forage maize had optimum DM yields and forage quality when planted at the recommended 100,000 plants/ha under 175 kg/ha of N fertility (Cox & Cherney, 2001). We evaluated forage maize at 0.38 and 0.76 m (conventional) row spacing under recommended vs. high …

Assessment And Improvement Of The Efficiency Of Nitrogen Use On Commercial Dairy Farms, D. J. Roberts, K. A. Leach, J. Goldie

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Dairy farming systems have a low efficiency of converting nitrogen (N) into milk protein, due to the many transfers which occur in the production process. Losses of N from the system can be detrimental to the environment and represent wasted inputs. At SAC, in a systems research project, management changes achieved increases in nitrogen efficiency (milk N output/ N inputs) (NE) from 23 to 34% in a grass-clover based system (GC), and 13 to 21% in a purchased fertiliser based system (GN) (Leach & Roberts, 2002). Nitrogen surplus (NS = N inputs - N output in sold produce) was reduced …

On-Farm Participatory Research Is An Essential Step Towards Achieving Successful Adoption Of Innovation: ‘Lifetime Wool’ A Case Study, Chris Oldham, P. Barber, M. Curnow, S. Giles, D. Gordon, A. Thompson

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

'Lifetime Wool' project (LTW) is a national project that is developing new nutritional guidelines for the management of ewe flocks across Australia funded by farmers through Australian Wool Innovation (AWI EC298; 2001-2008). A large replicated plot-scale experiment was used to define the dose-response of current production (wool and reproduction from the ewe) and future production (survival, growth and wool from progeny over their lifetime) to a range of levels of ewe nutrition (Thompson & Oldham, 2004). However, farmers and research workers have long realised that the difference between the results obtained on experimental plots and those obtained by farmers is …

The Contribution Of Participation To The Grassland Research Of The Louis Bolk Institute, J. De Wit, T. Baars, N. Van Eekeren

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Participatory research methods are well described, but the contribution of participation to the R&D process often remains unreported. In this paper some benefits of participatory on-farm research (OFR) carried out by the Louis Bolk Institute (LBI) are highlighted.

Farmer-Driven Research For Developing Models Of Successful Low Input Dairy Farms Of Small To Medium Size In The American Midwest, D. G. Johnson, M. V. Rudstrom, R. Imdieke, E. Ballinger, G. J. Cuomo

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The dairy industry in the upper Midwest continues to evolve with a drastic reduction in the number of dairy farms with less than 100 cows that utilise tie-stall housing. Many of the farms that do remain are at a critical point where facilities require renovation or replacement that is not economic. Rural communities have fewer residents engaged in agriculture to participate in the local economy and the rural landscape includes many farm sites that are abandoned. Low input dairies are an alternative system developed by farmers as a grass-roots movement. Low input farms may include grazing, outdoor housing throughout the …

Management Of Gastro-Intestinal Parasite Pressure, Under Grazing In Organic Farms: Development Of A Decision Support System Through The Mobilisation Of A Participative Research Process, D. Jamar, Virginie Decruyenaere, Y. Seutin, D. Stilmant, L. Perriaux, P. Stassart

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Under grazing, gastro-intestinal parasite management remains a major problem in ruminant production systems, more especially in systems respecting organic farming rules following their obligations (1) to perform grazing as soon as pedo-climatic conditions are adapted and (2) to use anti-parasitic products only in a curative way. Surprisingly, this problem has not been highlighted by the different stakeholders in the food chain from cattle meat production to consumption. This could arise from the lack of a clear and pertinent norm or infestation threshold that would allow differentiation between preventive and curative treatments. Such a norm would indicate to the breeder whether …

Organic Herbage Seed Production In Wales - Working With Farmers To Develop The Technology, H. Mccalman, A. M. Marshall

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The National Assembly Government of Wales is providing incentives for organic farming through its agri -environment schemes and has set a target of 10% by 2010. The organic systems in Wales are grassland based, including some with crop rotations and grass-clover leys. Reseeding currently relies on 60% conventional seed, but this derogation to the organic standard of 100% will be removed by August 2005. Conventional methods of seed production are not acceptable under organic standards. Following farmer discussion group meetings highlighting the difficulty of sourcing and the cost of organic seed, a feasibility project to tackle some of the practical …

Farmer Adoption; Ten Years Of Productive Pasture Systems In Southern Australia, Geoffrey Saul, H. L. Quinn, J. T. Trompf

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

n Southern Australian sheep and beef farmers have been slow to adopt technology related to grazing management and pasture utilisation despite clear evidence of a strong link between utilisation (stock per ha) and profitability. Between 1971-95, the average stocking rate on farms was 10-12 dry sheep equivalent per hectare (dse/ha) (Anon 2004). Results from the Hamilton Long-term Phosphate Experiment (Cayley et al., 2002) show higher pasture production, herbage digestibility, stocking rates and profitability as phosphorus fertiliser applications increase. In 1993, the Grassland Productivity Program (GPP) started in the winter rainfall areas of southern Australia (Trompf & Sale 2000), initiated …

Participatory Development Of A Forage Grass Cultivar, Michael D. Casler, P. G. Pitts, P. C. Bilkey, C. A. Rose-Fricker

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Perennial forage grasses exist in both nature and agriculture as a highly heterogeneous mixture of genotypes. Extreme environments, fluctuating environments, and severe managements can impose selection pressures that will result in loss of unadapted genotypes. Mortality of unadapted genotypes leads to dominance of fewer highly adapted genotypes which may be useful as superior germplasm in other similar environments.

Livestock Producers And Researchers - A Case Study Of An Effective Partnership, R. D. B. Whalley, I. H. Simpson, W. K. Mason

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The Sustainable Grazing Systems Programme (SGS) ran from 1996-2002 with 11 regional producer committees (Regional Producer Network - Simpson et al., 2003) and 6 research sites (National Experiment Andrew & Lodge, 2003) distributed throughout the high rainfall zone of temperate Australia. Each regional committee had a core of producers, with invited scientists and extension practitioners and a paid facilitator. The chair was always a producer and rotated annually. Each regional committee conducted a number of paddock-sized demonstrations of improved grazing management practices on a number of farms within the themes; grazing management and weeds, high input systems, innovative grazing …