Mixed crop-livestock farming systems for the Inland Northwest, US

Stephen Bramwell

Challenges to agricultural resource management and maintenance of farm profitability confront Palouse agriculture. Mixed crop-livestock farming systems have been viewed as alternative production models that may improve agriculture's impacts on soil, water, energy and other resources, as well as to improve economic performance. Almost no current regional data on mixed crop-livestock systems for the Palouse region exists, however, and up-to-date research is needed to gain a sense of their potential. In chapter 1 of this thesis, I identify the potential for mixed cropping systems in the Palouse region, briefly review the benefits and challenges for mixed systems in other regions, present regional research relevant to mixed systems in the Palouse, and identify research opportunities for crop-livestock systems. Research data from the mid-1900s in the Palouse, and recent scientific literature from other regions, were used to identify advantages and disadvantages, research and development needs, and strategies with respect to development and application of mixed crop-livestock systems. Many Washington State University research bulletins from the 1930s to the 1960s are relevant to both identifying and addressing current needs. Researchers documented increased forage carrying capacity using rotational grazing management and grass-alfalfa pasture mixes, changes in farmland acreage used for grazing and forage crops, and a cattle production system for the region including a pasturing period and feeding strategies. Extra-regional literature was used to identify strengths, weaknesses and research opportunities of mixed systems with respect to potential benefits and drawbacks, climatic determinants in optimizing mixed systems, optimizing potential grazing resources in the Palouse, economic outlooks, organic methods, no-till systems, and climate change. In chapter 2 of this thesis, agronomic and economic questions regarding adaptation of mixed crop-livestock farming systems to the Palouse region are addressed. In a farm system that rotates annual crops with perennial forage on the same field, perennials must be effectively terminated to prepare for annual crops. In an organic system on erodible soil, both herbicides and intensive tillage would be eschewed. Little is known about the profitability of these integrated systems, how to terminate persistent pastures without chemicals or a moldboard plow, and the effect of tillage methods on N availability for subsequent annual crops. The objective of this research was to assess the performance of a Triticale (x Triticosecale) grain crop following grazed alfalfa terminated with different methods of tillage. Treatments were moldboard plowing or low soil disturbance under-cutting sweeps. Intact alfalfa served as control. Soil inorganic nitrogen (N), grain yield, tillage effectiveness, and profitability were assessed. Soil NO3-N accumulated in low disturbance treatments. Organic unfertilized Triticale grain yield was positively correlated to degree of disturbance, ranging from 1630 to 4200 kg ha-1, and yield was negatively correlated with alfalfa re-growth. Returns over total costs of a grazed alfalfa-wheat rotation (GGR: $168 ac-1) were roughly half those of a hayed alfalfa-wheat rotation (HGR: $341 ac-1). The profitability of the hayed alfalfa-grain rotation responded sharply to changes in prices paid for organic alfalfa hay. The addition of wheat production to continuously grazed alfalfa (CG) increased returns over total cost considerably. Potential to improve soil quality through grazed forages in crop-pasture rotations appears to compete with the profitability of hayed systems, and low-disturbance tillage methods still need refining to ensure soil conservation during perennial to annual transition.

Mixed crop-livestock farming systems for the Inland Northwest, US

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