Bronson, K. F.

Butler, T. J.

Evers, G. W.

Lambert, B.

Muir, James P.

Stanley‐Stevens, L.

Wittie, R. D.

English

University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky UKnowledge International Grassland Congress Proceedings XXI International Grassland Congress / VIII International Rangeland Congress Multiple‐Use Grasslands: Integrating Forage, Biofuel, and Carbon/Phosphorus Sinks James P. Muir Texas AgriLife Research B. Lambert Texas AgriLife Research G. W. Evers Texas AgriLife Research T. J. Butler Noble Foundation K. F. Bronson Texas AgriLife Research See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc  Part of the Plant Sciences Commons, and the Soil Science Commons This document is available at https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/21/21-1/4 The XXI International Grassland Congress / VIII International Rangeland Congress took place in Hohhot, China from June 29 through July 5, 2008. Proceedings edited by Organizing Committee of 2008 IGC/IRC Conference Published by Guangdong People's Publishing House This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Plant and Soil Sciences at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Grassland Congress Proceedings by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact UKnowledge@lsv.uky.edu. Presenter Information James P. Muir, B. Lambert, G. W. Evers, T. J. Butler, K. F. Bronson, L. Stanley‐Stevens, and R. D. Wittie This event is available at UKnowledge: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/21/21-1/4 瞯 ]1032　 瞯 　 Multifunctional Grasslands in a Changing World 　 Volume Ⅱ 　Grasslands/Rangelands People and Policies——— Non‐Livestock Amenities of Grasslands/Rangelands ResourcesMultiple‐use grasslands : integrating forage , biofuel , and carbon/ phosphorus sinksJ .P . Muir1 , B . L ambert1 ,2 ，G .W . Evers1 , T .J . Butler 3 , K .F . Bronson1 , L . Stanley‐Stevens 2 , and R .D . W ittie 21 Texas A griL i f e Research , TX USA E‐mail : j‐muir ＠ tamu .edu . 2 Tarleton State University , TX USA . 3 The NobleFoundation , OK USA .Key words : grazing , biomass , environmental mitigationIntroduction Crop‐livestock integration has declined in North America over the last century but economic and environmentalpriorities may reverse that trend ( Russelle et al . , ２００７) . Landowners , especially in drier climates ill suited to row crops , canreduce risks by integrating crops such as biofuels with their current livestock priorities ( Allen et al . , ２００７) . If biofuel croppingis to succeed in sub‐humid and semi‐arid climates and on a wide scale , it must integrate into existing systems , initially as asecondary crop until biofuel feedstock markets become stable . Landowner culture ( Esterchild and Stanley‐Stevens , ２００５ ) andunpredictable climate leave no other choice . In drought years , keeping herds and flocks alive will take priority for socio‐culturaland economic reasons while excess forage in high rainfall years can provide inexpensive biofuel stocks . Our challenge will be todesign biofuel cropping systems that can best integrate into entrenched animal farming systems while still providing constantfuel supplies to future conversion plants .Environmental applications may also add value to multiple‐use forage biofuel systems . In many grassland regions of the world ,concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) produce copious quantities of manure , compost , and manure bio‐digester solidsthat pose environmental concerns to water quality ( Sharpley and Withers , １９９４) . Biofuel cropping systems are ideally suited tomitigate these concerns ( Lee et al . , ２００７ ) . Grass swards reduce surface water runoff , have stable soil environments forphosphorus ( P) , sequester N and C (Bronson et al . , ２００４) , and can recycle manure nutrients because , by definition , biofueland forage cropping systems are extractive ( Pierzynski and Withers , １９９４) . This presents a fortuitous opportunity to regionsworldwide where beef , dairy and poultry operations can safely apply wastes to biofuel crops not only as nutrient sources ( N )but also as nutrient sinks ( P) .Materials and methods Multi‐use cellulosic biofuel production systems are currently being studied in south‐central NorthAmerica . Applications include : １ ) cellulosic biofuel feedstocks ; ２ ) pasture grazing for cattle , goats and sheep ; ３ ) hay andhaylage production ; ４ ) bio‐diversification of fauna and flora in high‐diversity , low‐input native grasslands ; ５) poultry and dairyCAFO manure P sequestration ; ６) C sequestration for carbon credits ; ７) soil conservation under perennial grasslands .ReferencesAllen , V .G . , M .T . Baker , E . Segarra , and C .P . Brown . ２００７ . Integrating irrigated crop‐livestock systems in dry climates .A gron . J . ９９ :３４６‐３６０ .Bronson , K .F . , T .M . Zobeck , T . T . Chua , R .S . Van Pelt , and V . Acosta‐Martinez . ２００４ . Carbon and nitrogen pools ofSouthern High Plains grassland and cultivated soils . Soil Sci . Soc . Am . J . ６８ :１６９５‐１７０４ .Esterchild , E . and L . Stanley‐Stevens . ２００５ . �Gender and Sustainability in a Ranching Community ." SustainableCommunities Rev iew ８ :６‐２１ .Lee , D .K . , V .N . Owens , and J .J . Doolittle .２００７ . Switchgrass and soil carbon sequestration response to ammonium nitrate ,manure , and harvest frequency on conservation reserve program land . A gron . J . ９９ :４６２‐４６８ .Pierzynski , G .M . and T .J . Logan . １９９４ . Crop , soil , and management effects on phosphorus soil test levels . J . Prod .A gric . ６ : ５１３‐５２０ .Russelle , M .P . , M .H . Entz , and A . J . Franzluebbers . ２００７ . Reconsidering integrated crop‐livestock systems in NorthAmerica . A gron . J . ９９ :３２５‐３３４ .Sharpley , A .N . , and P .J .A . Withers . １９９４ . The environmentally‐sound management of agricultural phosphorus . Fertiliz erRes . ３９ :１３３‐１４６ .

Multiple‐Use Grasslands: Integrating Forage, Biofuel, and Carbon/Phosphorus Sinks

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Multiple‐Use Grasslands: Integrating Forage, Biofuel, and Carbon/Phosphorus Sinks

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