Establishment and production from thinned mature deciduous-forest silvopastures in Appalachia

Paper presented at the 11th North American Agroforesty Conference, which was held May 31-June 3, 2009 in Columbia, Missouri.In Gold, M.A. and M.M. Hall, eds. Agroforestry Comes of Age: Putting Science into Practice. Proceedings, 11th North American Agroforestry Conference, Columbia, Mo., May 31-June 3, 2009.Past research has not adequately addressed effective management and utilization of silvopastures developed from the ubiquitous mature woodlots which comprise 40-50% of small Appalachian farm acreage. While some grazing in woodlots is common, a set of guidelines for optimal utilization of these areas is not. We thinned a white oak dominated mature second growth forested area establishing two 0.5 ha, eight-paddock, orchardgrass-perennial ryegrass-white clover silvopasture replications for comparison with two nearby open pasture replications. After thinning trees, silvopastures were limed, fertilized and seeded. Sheep were fed hay and corn scattered across the area to facilitate removal of residual understory and incorporation of applied materials into surface soil. We measured soil moisture in the top 15 cm using TDR and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) using a system of 16, 1 m line Quantum Sensors during the subsequent growing seasons of 2004, 2005, and 2006. Paddocks were rotationally grazed by sheep with two 1 m2 herbage mass samples taken prior to animal grazing. There was no significant difference in soil moisture between silvopastures and open pastures however, there was adequate rainfall to prevent drought all three years. The two silvopasture replications had residual tree stands of 14.1 and 15.6 m2 ha-1 diameter breast height allowing 42 and 51 [percent] of total daily incident PAR compared to measurements in the open field. Total forage mass yield from open pasture for 2004, 2005 and 2006 was 9.9, 10.5 and 10.2 t ha-1 respectively and for silvopasture 8.5, 6.7 and 6.7 t ha-1. Silvopastures received 47 [percent] of open pasture incident PAR yet yielded an average of 72 [percent] as much herbage mass as the open pastures. The silvopasture soils were managed for forage production only a few years unlike the open pastures which received roughly a century of better management. Soil limitations may have contributed to decreased forage yield in silvopastures in addition to reduced PAR.C.M. Feldhake, J.P.S. Neel and D.P. Belesky ; USDA-ARS Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center 1224 Airport Road, Beaver, WV.Includes bibliographical references

Winter Grazing in a Grass-Fed System: Effect of Stocking Density and Sequential Use of Autumn-Stockpiled Grassland on Performance of Yearling Steers

Winter grazing can help reduce the need for purchased feeds in livestock production systems, when finishing cattle on pasture. Our objective was to evaluate the influence of stocking density and grazing stockpiled forage on performance of yearling steers during winter. Three grasslands were winter grazed for two years: I, naturalized pastureland, and II and III, sown and managed for hay production during the growing season but grazed in winter. Two stocking densities were used: low 7.41 and high 12.35 steers ha−1. Herbage mass was estimated before and after each grazing event, and disappearance (consumption, weathering, and trampling) was the difference between both. Forage mass and residual differed by stocking density (SD), year (YR), and grazing interval (GI), and disappearance differed by YR and GI. Grass and dead constituents of botanical composition differed by YR and GI. No differences were found for legumes and forbs. CP differed by YR and GI, and NDF and ADF differed only by YR. Steer average daily gain was 0.15 kg d−1 in 2011 and 0.68 kg d−1 in 2012 and varied by YR and GI. Acceptable gains in 2012 may be a product of environmental conditions that influenced herbage mass and nutritive value during stockpile and animal behavior during winter

Upper Profile Changes Over Time in an Appalachian Hayfield Soil Amended with Coal Combustion By-products

Large amounts of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) and fluidized bed combustion (FBC) by-products from burning coal, consisting primarily of gypsum, are available for potential use as a soil amendment. However, information is limited on longer-term changes in chemical and physical properties induced over time and over small depth increments of the upper soil profile after applying these amendments. This study examined longer-term effects in an abandoned Appalachian pasture soil amended with various liming materials and coal combustion by-products (CCBPs). Soil chemical and physical properties were investigated over time and depths. The results indicated limited dissolution and movement of the calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) applied with the chemical amendments, except for Ca and Mg associated with sulfate. However, sufficient dissolution occurred to cause significant increases in exchangeable Ca and Mg and decreases in exchangeable Al that were reflected in corresponding increases in soil pH. These beneficial effects persisted over time and were confined to the upper 0- to 15-cm depth of the profile. The greatest benefits appeared to be in the upper 0- to 5-cm surface layer. Both Ca and Mg applied as calcitic dolomitic limestone tended to be immobilized in the upper 0- to 5-cm layer of the soil profile; Ca more so than Mg. The presence of S applied in the FGD and FBC amendments appeared to enhance the mobility of Ca and Mg. The ratio of Ca/Mg in HCI extracts from the calcitic dolomitic treatment was close to that of applied calcitic dolomite, implying that the inactive component in soil might be the original calcitic dolomite particles. Soil physical properties measured over small depth increments showed that application of the amendments improved the saturated hydraulic conductivity only in the upper 0- to 5-cm depth and had little or no significant effect on the dry bulk density and plant-available water