Response Of Pasture Plants To Shade In Agroforestry And Agrivoltaic Production Systems,
2024
Oregon State University
Response Of Pasture Plants To Shade In Agroforestry And Agrivoltaic Production Systems, H. Kirschten, M. Graham, S. Ates, T. M. R. Maxwell, A. Rosati
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Agrivoltaics production systems have gained traction globally, holding promise to supply energy and food concurrently from the same unit of land. Studies investigating shade tolerant crops to optimize production under solar panels have mostly followed the findings of agroforestry studies. However, spectral composition of transmitted radiation in agrivoltaic and agroforestry production systems may not be the same, inducing different shade responses of understory crops. A pot trial investigating the effect of shade source on biomass production and morphology of perennial ryegrass, ribwort plantain and white clover was established during spring, in Oregon, USA. Treatments were solar panel shade, hazelnut tree …
Forages For Horses Revamped,
2024
The Ohio State University
Forages For Horses Revamped, C. Gelley, E. Lyon, H. Zynda, S. Mastellar, E. Share, B. Hendershot, D. Kreager, G. Wilson, R. Purdin, J. Hampton, J. Morris, T. Wiseman, L. Beers, M. Sulc
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
The Forages for Horses program began in Ohio in1998 as a collaboration between the Ohio Forages & Grasslands Council and Ohio State University Extension. Over time, additional collaborations with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ohio Department of Agriculture and local Soil and Water Conservation Districts expanded the program. At its inception, one to three educators would partner to provide eight hours of in-person lectures followed by a pasture walk to better the management practices of equine enthusiasts. From 2021 through 2022, the curriculum was adapted for a hybrid classroom and included three 90-minute live webinars featuring nine different presentations followed …
Bale Grazing: Feeding Hay On Pasture Using Rotational Grazing Techniques,
2024
University of Kentucky
Bale Grazing: Feeding Hay On Pasture Using Rotational Grazing Techniques, Greg Halich
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Bale grazing is a novel winter-feeding method where bales are set out on pasture, typically in checkerboard fashion, and fed in a planned, controlled manner, much like rotational grazing. So far, the concept has not been widely adopted in the eastern US, but offers an improved alternative compared to conventional winter-feeding systems for beef cattle, which all too often results in wasted nutrients, polluted waterways, degraded soils, and unhealthy conditions for cattle. With good management, bale grazing can solve all of these problems, and also requires less labor and machinery use than conventional hay feeding. However, climatic conditions in the …
More Than Fiber: Forage Carbohydrates Affecting Animal Performance,
2024
USDA-ARS
More Than Fiber: Forage Carbohydrates Affecting Animal Performance, M. B. Hall
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Forages are well known as an important source of fiber in livestock diets. However, their carbohydrate contribution is more than fiber. Forage grasses and legumes supply sugars, fructans, and other water-soluble carbohydrates as well as soluble fiber that behave very differently than starch in the rumen. With a focus on ruminants, we will explore the forage supply, and ruminal and animal impacts.
Extending The Grazing Season Through The Use Of Cover Crops,
2024
North Carolina State University
Extending The Grazing Season Through The Use Of Cover Crops, D. D. Harmon
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
The use of cover crops in integrated crop-livestock systems is not a novel approach but has increased in popularity over the last few years due to the renewed interest in soil conservation, nutrient cycling, and water conservation. Moreover, cool-season annual forages have the ability to extend the grazing season, reduce the need for stored or bought supplemental feedstuffs, and as a result, lower winter-feeding costs. Small grain cover crops, legumes, forbes, and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) vary in their growth distribution and can be planted alone in monocultures or planted in mixtures to take advantage of the individual …
Seed Quality Testing For Novel Endophyte Technology,
2024
Agrinostics Ltd Co.
Seed Quality Testing For Novel Endophyte Technology, N. S. Hill
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Fungal endophyte (Epichloë coenophiala (Morgan-Jones & W.Gams)) in Kentucky-31 tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbyshire) produces ergot alkaloids that adversely affect livestock. Novel endophyte-infected tall fescue cultivars, with agronomic enhancing properties without livestock toxicity, are commercially available but producer perception and adoption of the technology has been apprehensive. Educational programs by the Alliance for Grassland Renewal were developed to promote use of the novel endophyte technology. Standards of endophyte quality in seed for existing and new novel technologies were established and used to educate producers and ancillary professionals in Alliance-sponsored schools. Surveys of the presentation on seed quality …
In Vitro Methane Production From Heifers Offered Four Bermudagrass Cultivars,
2024
University of Georgia
In Vitro Methane Production From Heifers Offered Four Bermudagrass Cultivars, A. R. Hines, W. G. Bergen, M. K. Mullenix, S. L. Dillard, T. R. Callaway, W. B. Smith
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Though bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon [L.] Pers.) is one of the predominant warm-season perennial forage supporting the southeastern United States livestock production systems, little is known about its influence on parameters of ruminal metabolism, including carbon loss as methane. With the multitude of cultivars of this grass that have been developed and released, one may question whether the physiological cultivar differences will manifest varying results in digestive efficiency and subsequent methane emissions. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate in vitro methane (CH4) production as influenced by four bermudagrass cultivars. Ruminally-fistulated heifers (n = 4) were assigned randomly …
Pasture Management In The Us Midwest – An Assessment Of Current Practices And Future Opportunities,
2024
Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute, Ireland
Pasture Management In The Us Midwest – An Assessment Of Current Practices And Future Opportunities, C. Holohan, L. K. Paine, J. S. Cavadini, F. Lively, D. M. Jaramillo, M. S. Akins
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Managed grazing offers significant potential to improve the sustainability of livestock farms in the US Midwest, however the benefits of managed grazing are largely influenced by the management practices employed on farm. The objective of this study was to gain an understanding of current grazing practices on Midwest farms and to identify the knowledge and support needs of graziers. A total of 185 responses were received from a range of different enterprises including dairy, beef, and sheep production. Results show a substantial degree of variation in grazing management practices between respondents and highlights significant scope for improvement on farms particularly …
Medium-Term Impacts Of Grassland And Forestry Integration On The Environmental Performance Of A New Zealand Pastoral System,
2024
AgResearch, New Zealand
Medium-Term Impacts Of Grassland And Forestry Integration On The Environmental Performance Of A New Zealand Pastoral System, Michael B. Dodd, A. O. Hughes, Grant M. Rennie
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
At the IGC in 2008, we presented a paper outlining a project that aimed to improve the economic and environmental performance of a New Zealand hill country pastoral catchment farm system. This project was undertaken by engaging a wide group of sector stakeholders in visioning, modelling, planning and implementing significant land use change within a 296-hectare pastoral farm. In recognition of developing sectoral views of agricultural sustainability, the major changes involved pine afforestation, livestock production intensification, protection of waterways and indigenous bush restoration. The report in 2008 outlined the positive impacts on key farm systems and water quality performance indicators …
Adoption Of Plantain Within New Zealand Farming Systems,
2024
AgResearch, New Zealand
Adoption Of Plantain Within New Zealand Farming Systems, Michael B. Dodd, J. B. Pinxterhuis, P. Hedley, L. Keenan, A. Duker, A. Moorhead
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
In New Zealand, plantain has been incorporated into the pasture forage base in three ways: as a short-term pure crop; as a major component in “herb mixes” that include clovers and chicory; and as a minor component in perennial grass-based swards. All types are typically grazed in-situ. Given the incentive to optimise the plantain proportion in livestock diet to mitigate nitrogen losses and the observed lack of persistence in grass-dominant pasture over time, there is a need to use various pasture types strategically across a farm system to ensure a long-term sustainable contribution of plantain to feed intake. The inclusion …
A Multicriteria Assessment Of Forage Or Concentrate-Based Finishing Diets For Temperate Pasture-Based Suckler Beef Production Systems,
2024
University College Dublin, Ireland
A Multicriteria Assessment Of Forage Or Concentrate-Based Finishing Diets For Temperate Pasture-Based Suckler Beef Production Systems, P. R. Doyle, Edward G. O’Riordan, Mark Mcgee, Paul Crosson, A. K. Kelly, A. P. Moloney
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
This study evaluated the effect of contrasting ‘finishing’ diets on animal performance, meat nutritional value, land use, food-feed competition, farm economics and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in temperate pasture-based suckler weanling-to-steer beef systems. Post-weaning, eight-month-old, spring-born, late-maturing breed steers (333 kg) were assigned to one of three systems: (1) Grass silage + 1.2 kg concentrate DM (148 days), followed by pasture (123 days) and finished on ad libitum concentrates (120 days) - slaughter age, 21 months (GRAIN); (2) as per (1) but pasture (196 days) and finished on grass silage ad libitum + 3.5 kg concentrate DM (124 days) - …
Can You Have Your Cake And Eat It Too? Impact Of Grazing Cover Crops On Soil Properties,
2024
University of Nebraska-Lincon
Can You Have Your Cake And Eat It Too? Impact Of Grazing Cover Crops On Soil Properties, M. E. Drewnoski
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Does grazing of cover crops negate the soil health benefits of cover crops (CC)? A review of the literature was conducted to understand the soil impacts of grazing CC compared to a non-grazed CC control. Grazing CC did increase soil compaction in 50% of cases, but this increase was below the threshold that would be expected to impact root growth in most cases. It does appear that grazing under wet soils or high stocking rates can compact soil. Grazing did not affect wet aggregate stability in 83% of the studies. Soil carbon concentration was unaffected in 70% of the studies …
Nutrient Cycling And Crop Responses On Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems,
2024
University of Florida
Nutrient Cycling And Crop Responses On Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems, José C. B. Dubeux Jr., E. R. S. Santos, J. E. Portuguez-Acuna, L. M. D. Queiroz
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS) can bring numerous benefits to crops or livestock systems, such as increase soil C sequestration, farm profitability, and provisioning of ecosystem services. In a changing world, production systems need to become more resilient and sustainable. Specialized agriculture is characterized by a high level of inputs and outputs, and oftentimes specialize in a single crop to simplify management. However, such operational systems stray away from sustainable standards. Furthermore, specialized cropping systems may face problems such as persistence of pests and diseases, loss of biodiversity, stagnant yields, development of herbicide-resistant weeds, soil erosion and consequently loss of soil …
Strategic Integration Of Grasslands Within The Agricultural Landscape: Optimizing Benefits For The Producer And Society,
2024
USDA-ARS
Strategic Integration Of Grasslands Within The Agricultural Landscape: Optimizing Benefits For The Producer And Society, A. J. Duff, J. G. Franco
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
We provide a case study assessment, centered in the Upper Midwest region of the United States, of the economic and environmental outcomes associated with the inclusion of grasslands within dairy production systems. This farmscape design approach can be applied at farm, watershed, and regional scales, and has the potential to significantly improve the resilience of our agricultural lands. Ruminant livestock are uniquely adapted to utilize perennial forages, and the strategic integration of grasslands within the agricultural landscape can improve producer return on investment while generating ecosystem services that benefit the production system and society.
Forage Brassica Use In New Zealand And Australia Farming Systems,
2024
PGG Wrightson Seeds, New Zealand
Forage Brassica Use In New Zealand And Australia Farming Systems, A. Dumbleton, H. G. Judson
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Forage brassica, genus Brassica, are annual feed crops grown on farming enterprises throughout New Zealand and Australia. These crops provide a source of high-yielding, high-quality feed, which is particularly useful to complement pasture production during periods when pasture growth is reduced. There are six forage brassica species and subspecies of agricultural importance including bulb turnip, swede, kale, forage rape, leafy turnip, and raphanobrassica. All of these, as well as interspecific crosses and individual cultivars, offer a range of characteristics to fit various environmental and livestock production challenges. Consumption of forage brassica crops in ruminant animals may reduce methane emissions …
Evaluation Of Mulberry Leaf Meal Feeding On The Growth And Hematological Profile Of Cross Bred Heifers,
2024
Dr. Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, India
Evaluation Of Mulberry Leaf Meal Feeding On The Growth And Hematological Profile Of Cross Bred Heifers, Rohit Bishist, Irfana Quadiri, Krishan Lal Gautam, Kamal Kishore
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Mulberry (Morus alba) is a multipurpose fodder tree with a high voluntary intake. Mulberry foliage is characterized by high digestibility and excellent level of protein which makes it comparable to commercial concentrates for dairy cattle. o evaluate the effect of dietary inclusion of mulberry leaf meal as a concentrate replacement (20%) in the crossbred heifers ration the present investigation was carried out at dairy farm Dr YSPUHF Nauni Solan. In the study, a total of 12 cross bred heifers (1-2 yr) were divided into two equal groups of 6 animals each, on the basis of body weight. The …
Fruit Forage Integrated Systems For Diversification And Other Ecosystem Services,
2024
ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, India
Fruit Forage Integrated Systems For Diversification And Other Ecosystem Services, S. Ahmad, N. H. Mir, S. S. Bhat
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
The interspaces (alleyways) in fruit orchards are generally not utilized for cultivation of perennial forage crops by a majority of farmers. These alleyways are often occupied by weeds or kept bare or clean with repeated tillage. The weeds may act as alternate/collateral hosts, thereby harboring pests and pathogens that may harm the fruit trees. In addition to this, the frequent tillage may subject the soil to erosion losses. Intercropping of perennial forage grasses and/or legumes with fruit crops is thus beneficial for not only providing high quality forage but also for providing various ecosystem services.Owing to an ever burgeoning population, …
History Of Endophytic Toxicosis And Novel Variety Solutions,
2024
University of Georgia
History Of Endophytic Toxicosis And Novel Variety Solutions, J. H. Bouton
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Associations of Epichloe endophytes with tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb). Darbush.] and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) form the basis for the known science and ecology of mutualistic, fungal endophytes, and especially their impact on livestock. In the USA, millions of acres are endophyte infected today due mainly to planting ‘Kentucky 31’ to reduce soil erosion. Health problems emerged later among animals grazing the grass. These toxicity symptoms were listed under the general term ‘Fescue Toxicosis’. Research demonstrated that ergot alkaloids produced by the mutualism were mainly responsible. Developing endophyte-free versions of major varieties reduced host grass persistence …
Comparison Of Two Low-Input Cow/Calf Production Systems On Temperate Grassland,
2024
West Virginia University
Comparison Of Two Low-Input Cow/Calf Production Systems On Temperate Grassland, W. B. Bryan, Mata Padrino, E. Felton, E. C. Prigge, V. W. Temu, O. J. Gekara
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Two systems of grass farming were compared in an eight-year experiment in West Virginia, USA. The grassland consisted primarily of cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerara L.), Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), and red (Trifolium pretense L.) and white clover (T. repens L.). The objective was to compare two systems of beef cow calf production. The experiment was a randomized complete block with two replicated treatments. The grassland of treatment 1 (system 1) was overseeded with legumes, grazing started 1 wk earlier and continued 1 wk later than treatment 2 (system 2) and …
Grazing Cover Crops In The Eastern Us: Performance Of Sheep, Goats, And Cattle Grazing Brassica Cover Crops,
2024
Michigan State University
Grazing Cover Crops In The Eastern Us: Performance Of Sheep, Goats, And Cattle Grazing Brassica Cover Crops, K. Cassida
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Grazing annual forage crops has attained new interest with the increase in use of cover crops. Grazing annual forages grown as cover crops not only allows livestock producers to extend the grazing season but also gives row crop growers a way to recoup the cost of planting cover crops through grazing leases. Species in the Brassicaceae family (turnip, rape, kale, radish, and hybrids) have wide adaptability across the eastern US, excellent forage yield potential, and extremely high nutritional value. Brassicas are sometimes described as “high-moisture concentrates.” Their low effective fiber content drives the common recommendation to grow them with annual …
