This project, the first of its kind in the nation, used land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program to demonstrate intensive rotational grazing as an economically and environmentally viable alternative use for highly erodible land due to come out of CRP contracts beginning in 1996. A local committee secured funds and expertise from various agencies to establish three grazing systems. Forage improvement, innovative watering and fencing systems, contour lanes, and other aspects of grazing were implemented and evaluated. The project also included a field survey inventory of land in 300 CRP contracts in a three-county area. Another important segment of this five-year project involved education activities such as field days, grazing clinics, tours, and presentations both on and off the site

Houck, Norvell

Peterson, Brian C.

This project, the first of its kind in the nation, used land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program to demonstrate intensive rotational grazing as an economically and environmentally viable alternative use for highly erodible land due to come out of CRP contracts beginning in 1996. A local committee secured funds and expertise from various agencies to establish three grazing systems. Forage improvement, innovative watering and fencing systems, contour lanes, and other aspects of grazing were implemented and evaluated. The project also included a field survey inventory of land in 300 CRP contracts in a three-county area. Another important segment of this five-year project involved education activities such as field days, grazing clinics, tours, and presentations both on and off the site.</p

Peterson, Brian

Digital Repository @ Iowa State University (ISU)

91-58 Leopold CenterL E O P O L  D C E N T E  R FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Conservation Reserve Program researchand demonstration projectAbstract: This project, the first of its kind in the nation, used land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program to demonstrate intensive rotational grazing as an economically and environmentally viable alternative use for highly erodible land due to come out of CRP contracts beginning in 1996. A local committee secured funds and expertise from various agencies to establish three grazing sys­tems. Forage improvement, innovative watering and fencing systems, contour lanes, and other aspects of grazing were implemented and evaluated. The project also included a field survey inven­tory of land in 300 CRP contracts in a three-county area. Another important segment of this five-year project involved education activities such as field days, grazing clinics, tours, and presentations both COMPETITIVE GRANT REPORT Principal Investiga­tor: Brian C. Peterson Natural Resources Conservation Service Co-investigator: Norvell Houck Southern Iowa Forage and Livestock Committee Budget $39,582 for year one $28,500 for year two $29,235 for year three $29,234 for year four on and off the site. Background The landscape of Adams County, in south­western Iowa, is gently rolling with loess-covered ridges, steep sidehills, and small creek bottoms. The varied topography and soil types of the region produce a dramatic range of row-crop yields. Land use in Adams County has undergone significant change in the past 25 years. Row-crop acres increased from the 1970s until the mid-1980s, when the farm crisis and the Con­servation Reserve Program prompted a de­crease in this intensive cropping. Some of the acres were then converted to CRP. Adams County currently has 30,984 acres (15% of the total tillable land) in the CRP. Those acres represent 20% of the highly erod­ible cropland (HEL) in the county. The intent of the CRP is to preserve and protect soil resources. But when 10-year CRP contracts end, these protected acres could revert back to conventional row-crop agriculture. The South­ern Iowa Forage and Livestock Committee (SIFLC) formed in 1990 to continue the intent of CRP. The committee's stance was that if landowners could realize adequate economic benefits from environmentally sound alterna­tives (e.g., pasture and hayland), they would be less likely to revert CRP acres to row cropping when the government program ends. SIFLC sought to demonstrate economically feasible and environmentally sound alterna­tives to row crop production on this highly erodible, marginal crop land. The committee—which involves the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Rural Eco­nomic and Community Development (formerly Farmers Home Administration), the Farm Ser­vices Agency (formerly ASCS), Iowa State University (ISU)/Adams County Extension Service, local businesspeople, and farmers— gained first-in-the-nation approval from the Farm Services Agency (then the ASCS) to demonstrate grazing systems and the estab­lishment of forages on land currently enrolled in CRP. The project objectives were to (1) demonstrate alternative grazing practices; (2) examine the feasibility of new fencing and watering methods on steep sidehills; (3)	 test forage establishment techniques; (4)	 survey vegetative and physical constraints on CRP land; (5) analyze the profitability of various grazing systems; (6) conduct demonstration of weed and brush management; and (7)	 measure the productivity of forage species using different management treatments. By demonstrating the economic feasibility of Leopold Center Progress Report 5 environmentally sound practices, the project will contribute to a more sustainable agricul­ture by protecting HEL. The Adams County project has also become a national model for implementation of alternative practices. Approach and methods Because this project was designed to show alternatives to row crop production on HEL currently enrolled in CRP, SIFLC gained ap­proval to use land actually enrolled in CRP. While there are various alternatives to row crop production on such land, the committee chose to demonstrate rotational grazing sys­tems for beef cattle. Several considerations influenced this decision: cow-calf operations are an important part of the agriculture indus­try in this area of Iowa; they are well-suited to this type of landscape; SIFLC wanted to show that a well-managed, intensive, rotational graz­ing system could be more profitable than row cropping on these marginal soils; and main­taining a good forage cover after CRP would provide environmental benefits over convert­ing the land back to row-crop production. SIFLC established three grazing systems: a four-paddock system on 22.4 acres, where cattle were rotated on a 10- to 14-day cycle; 34.6 acres with 13 paddocks where cattle were rotated on a 1- to 3-day cycle; and 65 acres, where steers were grazed in 18 paddocks on a 1 - to 3-day cycle. New Zealand style electric fencing was used to demonstrate the use of high-tensile wire and several types of poly wire. Fence posts of wood, steel, fiberglass, plastic, and insul timber were also employed. Ener­gizers were powered by rural electric coopera­tive (REC) hi-line and solar energy. Area farmers who had used rotational grazing expressed concern about the gullies resulting from up- and downhill cattle traffic lanes and the expense of fencing. Paddock systems were designed so that lanes were established on the contour. Although the fencing costs were variable due to the different materials used, they averaged $0.18/foot in the 18-paddock area, much less expensive than the $1 .OO/foot minimum of the 5- to 6-barb fence typically used in that area. Ponds were used as a water source for all three grazing systems, but the water was supplied to cattle in various ways. Pumps moved the water from the ponds to the grazing systems; these pumps were also powered by REC hi-line and solar energy. A pasture "nose" pump was also used, as was the traditional gravity flow system with a water pipe through the pond. Improvement of the existing forage, another important goal of the project, was accom­plished by use of a no-till drill to interseed a variety of legumes into the predominantly grass pastures. Birdsfoot trefoil, red clover, and alfalfa were used in these demonstrations. Interseeding was successful in early spring as well as in late summer. Frost seeding was also demonstrated using an end gate seeder in March. Warm season grasses were success­fully demonstrated on another set of plots. This project also involved a field survey of 300 CRP contracts in Adams, Taylor, and Ringgold Counties. Data were gathered to evaluate the physical constraints that CRP contracts might have that would limit their This survey evaluated each field individually. Volume 5 (1996) 6 conversion to pasture and hayland at the con­clusion of the contract. This field-by-field survey also evaluated fencing, watering sys­tems, and forage quality. In addition, it iden­tified the predominant soil type for each field and the age and ownership status of the con­tract holder. Findings Although this project was primarily demon-stration-oriented, considerable record-keeping has assisted project directors in evaluating the cost effectiveness of the various systems being tested. Fencing and watering appeared to be more expensive than the types used in more typical grazing scenarios; the solar-powered water pump, for example, was not cost effec­tive because electricity was readily available. Nevertheless, it may be a viable option for producers who do not have ready access to electricity. Moreover, the project was able to demonstrate that solar-powered water pumps and fence energizers work well. The New Zealand style fencing, on the other hand, not only worked well but cost less than traditional 5- to 6-barb fencing. It permits fences to be more irregular in shape and makes the use of contour lanes more practical. This fencing is effective in keeping cattle in their respective paddocks, and this feature of the project has eliminated gully erosion in the lane system. Although insufficient baseline data existed to quantify precisely the degree of improvement in the forage since the grazing project's incep­tion, forage scientists and specialists have repeatedly noted improvements attributable to management and interseeding. Cow-calf pairs were stocked at an average annual rate of 1.68 on the four-paddock system and 1.59 on the 13-paddock system. The calf average daily gain on the four-paddock system aver­aged 2.38 pounds; on the 13-paddock system it averaged 2.32. These numbers are very similar despite significant differences in the two systems: the 13-paddock system has a larger fescue component in the forage than does the four-paddock system, whereas the four-paddock system soils are more produc-Leopold Center Progress Report tive. The 18-paddock system, established in 1992, has yet to reach its full potential. SIFLC has placed articles in the Iowa State University Beef & Sheep Report annually since 1992. Another important product of this work was the 35-page When the CRP Ends: A Look at Production Alternatives for Highly Erod­ible Land in Southern Iowa (see below). This report, which contains a detailed physical in­ventory of the 300 CRP contracts surveyed, identifies weak areas (such as poor fencing and a lack of water), predicts future use of this land, evaluates the economics of these future uses, and identifies lessons learned from this project. This project has raised awareness and concern about what may happen to land enrolled in the CRP when contracts expire; it has also demon­strated viable alternatives to row crop produc­tion on highly erodible, marginal land. New Zealand fencing is now sold by three dealers in This publication was prepared by econo­mists, researchers, conservationists, and others from Iowa State University, the Natural Resources Conservation Ser­vice, and the South­ern Iowa Forage and Livestock Committee. 7 Corning; at the beginning of the project, it was lection of data on 300 CRP contracts in the unavailable there. The project has also dem­ area. onstrated that watering systems that carry the water to the cattle are preferable to systems If this land does return to row-crop production, that require the cattle to come to the water. pesticide and fertilizer use will likely increase. Piping water to the paddocks keeps the ma- In addition, soil loss from land planted to row nure from concentrating in a central watering crops will exceed that of CRP land or well location; it also minimizes animal traffic that managed pasture land. Such a scenario holds can hinder forage regrowth, and it encourages negative implications for water quality as well. cattle to do a better job of utilizing the forage available in the paddock. More information on forage yields and stock­ing rates would help landowners make upcom-SIFLC now hosts a two-day grazing clinic that ing critical management and land use deci­is the only one of its kind in Iowa. Instructors sions. Additional demonstration of frost seed-represent the Natural Resources Conservation ing and interseeding of forages into existing Service, Iowa State University, and the Uni­ forages could also help producers make deci­versity of Missouri. The clinic also includes a sions to optimize their profitability. panel of producers. Education and outreach: SIFLC shared Implications project information at field days, conferences, tours, training sessions, grazing clinics, tillage Some 80% of the CRP contracts in Adams shows, and other venues. County, Iowa, will be eligible to expire on October 1, 1996. This project successfully Cooperative efforts: From its inception, this demonstrated one alternative—intensive ro­ project has depended heavily on the coopera-For more information tational grazing of cattle—to row-crop pro­ tion of government agencies, organizations, contact B. C. Peterson, Natural Resources Conservation Service, 305 S. Loomis, Coming, Iowa, 50841; (712)322-3116. duction on this land. The demonstration en­compassed watering and fencing systems, es­tablishment of lanes on the contour, solar powered pumps and fence energizers, forage improvement through interseeding, and col-businesses, and other groups. Funding has been provided by NRCS and ISU Extension as well as from the Leopold Center and the USDA's SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Re­search and Education program). Volume 5 (1996) 8 

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Conservation Reserve Program research and demonstration project

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Conservation Reserve Program research and demonstration project

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