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ARS Home » Plains Area » Mandan, North Dakota » Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #152160
Title: INTEGRATED CROP/LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS: FORAGE AND GRAIN PRODUCTION FOR SWATH GRAZING

Author
item Tanaka, Donald
item Karn, James
item Liebig, Mark
item Hanson, Jonathan

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2003
Publication Date: 11/4/2003
Citation: Tanaka, D.L., Karn, J.F., Liebig, M.A., Hanson, J.D. 2003. Integrated crop/livestock systems in the northern great plains: forage and grain production for swath grazing. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Proceedings.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Agricultural systems have become more specialized to meet the needs of an increasingly industrialized food network. These systems are the result of decoupling crop/livestock enterprises for short-term economic gain at the expense of long-term sustainability. Objectives of our research were to determine the influences of winter grazing dry gestating beef cows on no-till forage and grain production, water-use efficiency, protein production, and forage P content for oat/pea-triticale/sweet clover-drilled corn crops production in a three-year rotation. Oat/pea and triticale crops were harvested for grain with straw and chaff left I swaths for winter grazing. Drilled corn forage was swathed in late September. Treatments were: 1) grazing livestock, 2) straw and corn baled and removed, and 3) straw and corn chopped and left in place. Results from the first three years of research suggest livestock do not have a significant impact on forage or grain production, water-use efficiency, protein production, or forage P content. Water-use efficiency for corn dry matter production was about 1.5 times greater than oat/pea or triticale/sweet clover over the three years.