Duration: 10/01/2003 to 09/30/2008

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Statement of Issues and Justification

STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES

Intensive row-crop production on unglaciated soils in the Upper Mississippi Valley and Southern Indiana karst areas result in high soil erosion of already fragile land and degrade soil and water quality. This hurts community structure and reduces the high value of natural resources in these areas. Improved forage and ruminant livestock systems integrated with more conservation oriented crop production systems are required for these resource sensitive areas to remain economically viable and socially stable.

JUSTIFICATION

The "unglaciated" Upper Mississippi Valley in northwestern Illinois, southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, and northeastern Iowa (MLRA 105), along with the Mitchell and Muscatatuck Plateaus in southern Indiana, are unique: the surface was not modified by recent glaciation and the area is dominated by steeply dissected bedrock. The soils are highly productive, but high rainfall, steep karst topography, shallow soils, and an erodible soil condition require resource conserving agricultural systems atypical of other areas in the North Central U.S. Erosion has been identified as the principal management concern of this area (Soil Conservation Service, 1981).

Clean-tilled row crops have increased at the expense of traditional soil conserving practices. Increased soybean production, replacing forage crops, aggravates a very sensitive soil erosion problem. Table 1 exemplifies changes in Grant County, from the karst area, in extreme Southwest Wisconsin. In Jennings County, Indiana on the Muscatatuck Plateau soybean acreage has increased from 22,000 acres in 1980 to 47,200 in 2000 (USDA, 2003). Cropland in this county grew from 58,167 acres in 1964 to 79,439 acres in 1997 with a decline in pastureland. Dairy and other cattle numbers have declined significantly in both areas since 1993. A greater demand is being placed on soil and water resources in response to farm economic pressure. Existing crop/livestock production systems in this region result in only marginal ecosystem sustainability (SWCS, 1999).

Table 1. Numbers of selected livestock and area devoted to selected crops in Grant

County Wisconsin for 1979, 1993, and 2001 (USDA, 2003)

Year	Cattle & Calves	Dairy Cattle	Hay (ha)	Soybeans (ha)
--------------------------thousands--------------------------
1979	197	56	50	0.6
1993	202	58	39	4.1
2001	179	52	33	25

Environmental challenges associated with row crop production are intuitively obvious. However, row crops must be an integral part of animal based agriculture in this region. Row crop production, however, must meet stringent environmental requirements in this natural resource sensitive area. Development of new, or improvement of existing, cropping and livestock systems adapted to this area is imperative for the economic and environmental well being of the region.

The Lancaster Agricultural Research Station in Grant County, Wisconsin, is the only research farm in the "unglaciated" Upper Mississippi Valley of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. The station possesses the soil, topography, and climatic conditions necessary to evaluate crop and livestock management practices in karst regions of the North Central U.S. A regional research and educational project allows scientists in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin to interact at one location in a multidisciplinary manner that is relevant to the clientele groups that each scientist serves in his/her respective state. The proposed project requires input from each of these states and agencies in planning, conducting, and data analysis of research required to meet the project objectives. MLRA 105 stakeholders will benefit from a developing outreach collaborator relationship with the Soil and Water Conservation Society. Without this regional project stakeholders must obtain much of their management information from research and education activities from areas with much different land and water resource characteristics or from uncoordinated component activities within the region. In contrast, a successful project will provide improved crop, soil, livestock and water management information specific for this unique area to citizens living in this area.

Related, Current and Previous Work

Related current research was identified through CRIS searches. CRIS searches were restricted to eleven states with soil, crop and climatic conditions deemed relevant to the conditions under which the proposed research will be conducted. The states were Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Zone/Strip Tillage.

No-tillage is ideal for conserving soil in this region. Surface residue cover reduces soil erosion losses (Hudson, 1995), but also slows early season soil warming and drying (Kaspar et al., 1990). One of our goals is to identify a tillage system that maximizes surface crop residue cover, creates favorable soil environmental conditions for crop production, is well suited for integrated crop/animal production systems in karst regions, and is acceptable to this regions producers.

Zone, or strip tillage, while not a new concept, is a relatively new practice that tills the row zone only. Surface residue coverage with strip tillage is well above 50% after planting with either a continuous corn (Wolkowski, 2000) or a corn/soybean rotation (Vetch and Randall, 2002). Residue cover favors soil conservation, while the tilled zone favors soil warming and drying for early planting (Wolkowski, 2000). Limited data suggests this system yields well in Ontario, Indiana (Arends et al., 2000; Arends, 2001; Opoku et al., 1997; Vyn et al., 2002a; Vyn et al., 2002b), and in Minnesota outside of MLRA 105 (Vetsch and Randall, 2002; Randall et al. 2001a; Randall et al. 2001b; Randall et al, 2002). Published strip tillage research done within MLRA 105 is limited to one paper by Wolkowski (2000), which suggested strip tillage may be favorable for this area.

Zone/strip tillage research is limited. Six CSREES projects relate to the objectives of this project. The National Soil Tilth Laboratory (NSTL) is evaluating conservation tillage changes in the U.S. Members of the NSTL are potential project members, which should strengthen this project. Members, from at least four institutions, developing this proposal - Tony Vyn of Purdue University; Richard Cruse of Iowa State University; Richard Wolkowski of the University of Wisconsin; and John Moncrief, Jeff Vetsch, and Gyles Randall at the University of Minnesota are conducting closely related projects. Three of these (Purdue, Iowa, and Wisconsin) are CSREES projects. These projects address: conservation tillage management that will be adopted by North Central Region farmers; optimum planting dates for different tillage systems (including strip tillage) and how these interact with corn and soybean yield; fertilizer placement methods that are adaptable to strip tillage; tillage management for manured cropland; and corn hybrid response to tillage systems. The remaining CRIS projects found in the CRIS search relating to strip tillage address production potential and soil carbon dynamics (USDA -Minnesota), tillage systems and cover crops (Pennsylvania), and the requirement for row crop cultivation with strip tillage methods (New York).

Alternative Forage Crops and Cropping Systems

Alfalfa and corn silage have long been the primary high quality harvested forage crops in the driftless region. However, corn silage production results in excessive soil loss (Gallagher et al., 1996), prompting the need for alternative soil conserving cropping systems. Living mulches have been tested (Eberlein et al., 1992; Hartwig and Ammon, 2002) but generally compete with corn or fail to recover after corn production. Kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.), however, seems an ideal living mulch. It can be managed to provide minimal competition to corn and recover to full production the season following corn (Zemenchik et al., 2000). Corn grain and silage yields in a kura clover living mulch have equaled those in conventional production, while requiring only 50 kg/ha N fertilizer (Affeldt et al., 2003). A preliminary study (Eleki, 2003) suggests that the living mulch will reduce soil erosion from corn silage production systems. Furthermore, manure utilization in living mulch-corn systems is a major issue needing attention. Reports of 6 to 15 Mg/ha of below ground kura clover biomass make this living mulch attractive for carbon sequestration. Only WI, MN and the NSTL in IA are doing research on living mulches in the 11 state CRIS data base, and this research will be coordinated through the new multi-state project.

Small grain cover crops reduce soil and water losses (Kaspar et al., 2001) and following corn silage harvest provide forage. In Wisconsin, winter small grains have been fall-seeded into kura clover and the mixture harvested for spring silage. The high levels of fructans in winter wheat resulted in excellent fermentation and forage nutritive value of these small grain-clover mixtures (Contreras and Albrecht, 2002). In short, a system composed of corn silage produced in a living mulch of kura clover followed by winter wheat or winter rye for early spring forage production could maximize the growing season, minimize N fertilizer requirements for grain-crop silage production, and reduce soil erosion losses to low levels reported for perennial forage crops (Zemenchik et al., 1996). Only Wisconsin and NSTL are conducting research on small grain cover crops incorporated into corn silage production systems.

Cupplant (Silphium perfoliatum L.), a native prairie plant, is a very persistent, high yielding forage when managed well (Albrecht and Goldstein, 1997). Initial feeding trials with dairy cattle (Han, et al., 2000) and heifers receiving embryo transplants (Fischer-Brown et al., 2003) demonstrated promising animal performance. Further evaluation of cupplant and testing its capacity for manure utilization is warranted. About eight years ago, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute advertised a small amount of seed available for distribution and had greater than 1,000 requests (Walter Goldstein, personal communication) based solely on our preliminary data. Though a nontraditional crop, cupplant is attractive to farmers because it tolerates long-term flooding and can produce annual high quality forage yields greater than 15 Mg/ha. (Albrecht and Goldstein, 1997). Cupplant research is conducted in WI, SD, Chile, and the new Commonwealth of Independent States.

Pasture Based Livestock Production

Preliminary evaluations of a kura clover grass mixture (Kim and Albrecht, 2003; Kim et al., 2003; Zemenchik et al., 2003) led to steer performance testing on kura clover-grass pastures in the driftless region. Over a three year period, beef production averaged 1020 kg/ha with average daily gains of 1.2 kg/day, performance that was about 20% better than steers grazing excellent red clover-grass pastures, and unprecedented in any previous grazing research in the region. Superior animal performance on mixed grass pastures containing kura clover was associated with greater total forage yield, clover proportion in pastures, and nutritive value compared to red clover-grass pastures. Twenty years of kura evaluation in the northern USA suggests that it will be a truly permanent component of pastures into which it is sown (Sheaffer and Marten, 1991; Albrecht et al., 2002), a new characteristic for pasture legumes grown in the northern USA. The potential for gross economic returns of $1570/ha for stocker steer production (assuming a price of ($1.55 per kg of beef) warrants further investigation of the role that this very persistent legume can play in increasing biological and economic performance of livestock production while maintaining a permanent ground cover on erosion prone landscapes. Currently there is only one other project in the 11 state CRIS database that is testing animal performance on kura clover-grass pastures, a dairy project through NE-132 conducted in Wisconsin by D.K. Combs and K.A. Albrecht.

Manure Management and Nutrient Balances

Eight active projects were identified addressing this topic in the eleven-state database. Three are USDA projects in Maryland that deal with fate and transport of P in the environment, and feeding strategies of minimize N and P in manure. One USDA project in Wisconsin explores opportunities to use manure nutrients in cropping systems. The two New York projects study feeding strategies to minimize nutrient excretion and quantification of nutrient transport in agricultural systems. Wisconsin has two projects that provide a framework for decision making related to nutrient management, and outreach related to developing a network of interagency partnerships to address on-farm nutrient management. The proposed work with whole farm nutrient balance analysis on dairy farms will characterize actual on-farm situations and aid in understanding the causes and acceptable remedies for nutrient accumulation in livestock operations.

Modeling surface water quality impacts of current and alternative land management strategies.

The NRCS adopted a national policy for nutrient management emphasizing P and N application rates when developing nutrient management plans (NRCS, 1999). This policy requires using a P-based application rate standard where manure or other organic wastes are applied. Average soil test P levels in Wisconsin exceed optimum crop production levels (Bundy, 1998). Much recent work relating soil P and manure effects on P concentrations in runoff has been done in pasture (Sharpley et al., 1994; Daniel et al., 1994, Pote et al., 1996; Sauer et al., 2000) and row crop systems (Baker and Laflen, 1982; Mueller et al., 1984; Hansen et al., 2000; Bundy et al., 2001). Many interacting factors affect P losses from agricultural fields (i.e. time of year, slope, crop type, surface residue cover, soil test P level, P rate applied in manure, organic matter rate applied in manure, etc.).

A CRIS search found numerous projects related to water quality modeling including erosion and nutrient transport from agricultural surfaces and land use practices. A Wisconsin project (Field-Scale Evaluation of the Wisconsin Phosphorus Index in Wisconsin's Driftless Region) will determine relative phosphorus transport risk from several fields in MLRA 105 as compared to an empirical index. The modeling effort proposed here, however, differs from all other efforts in three important aspects: 1) the model predicts a comprehensive suite of ecosystem phenomena in addition to water quality parameters, 2) the hydrologic modeling is very detailed (10-20 m grid scale) and includes re-infiltration of runoff, a feature not found in any other model in this class, and 3) the model includes a decision support user interface designed for use by agricultural consultants, i.e. it is intended for direct use by practitioners, especially in the precision agriculture community.

Agricultural activities in the karst regions can be improved to reduce environmental impacts while at least maintaining current economic conditions and likely improving them.

Objectives

1. Quantify the change in crop sequences and animal production during the past 25 years within these regions to determine the appropriate conservation strategies for protecting soil and water quality considering existing production systems.
   
2. Evaluate strip till against other soil and water conservation tillage system goals of: erosion control, water quality, and crop production for this karst topography.
   
3. Develop and quantify the role of cover crops, living mulches, and alternative crops for mixed crop-livestock operations in MLRA 105.
   
4. Develop alternative foragebased livestock management strategies for MLRA 105 and determine impacts on profitability; soil, water, and air quality; and nutrient balances.
   
5. Model surface water quality impacts of current and alternative land management strategies in MLRA 105.
   
6. 
   

Methods

Objective 1. Quantify the change in crop sequences and animal production during the past 25 years within these regions to determine the appropriate conservation strategies for protecting soil and water quality. The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) databases available on-line will be used to determine changes in crop and livestock production throughout MLRA during the past 25 years. The results will be reviewed by the local basin educators and compared to the observations and personal experiences of long-term residents within the region. Changes in tillage practices within the region will be determined in a similar manner using the Conservation Technology Information Centers (CTIC) tillage survey database. The results of these evaluations will help shape the technology transfer programs necessary to advance the results associated with Objective 2 (conservation tillage and crop residue management), Objective 3 (cover crops and living mulches), and Objective 4 (forage-based livestock management strategies. Objective 2. Evaluate strip tillage against other soil and water conservation tillage systems for these karst region goals of: erosion control, water quality, and crop production. A long-term tillage study will be initiated at the Lancaster Agriculture Research Station (ARS). Primary tillage treatments for a corn/soybean rotation will include: fall moldboard plow, fall chisel plow, fall strip-till, spring field cultivate, and no-till (single cutting disk and double disk opener). A randomized complete block design with four replications will be used. The tillage treatments will be for corn after soybean. Contour tillage will be used in a field with a minimum slope of 6%. Corn and soybean will be planted so that both crops occur each year. Minimal data collected from the corn component includes emergence, final stand, yield and grain moisture. Production costs will be calculated based on management inputs for each system. Net return estimates will be based on production costs and returns from sale of soybean seed and corn grain (based on plot yields). Collectors for measuring sediment and runoff loss from natural rainfall events will be installed in the tillage plots. Three collectors will be installed in three replicates in chisel, strip-till, and no-till treatments. Changes in soil organic matter content with time and depth will also be monitored on these plots. Management information generated by project personnel in other North Central states, relative to planting dates (Iowa), fertilizer management (Minnesota and Indiana), timing of strip tillage operation  fall vs. spring (Indiana), hybrid selection (Minnesota), strip tillage depth (Indiana and Iowa) and potential for strip tillage for soybeans (Indiana) will be integrated with data from the Lancaster ARS research and used in outreach activities. Industry (Monsanto, Deere and Company, Potash and Phosphate Institute) has supported these efforts in the past due to their interest in strip tillage, and indications are that this will continue. Monsanto currently supports strip till work in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin and has sponsored an annual consortium meeting of cooperators to review strip till progress. The new plot site at Lancaster will very likely become part of this effort. In years 3, 4, and 5 farm trial/demonstrations will be initiated in at least two states, in which strip tillage will be compared to the farm cooperators existing system. Data from regional cooperators involved with this objective will be used to develop the best strip tillage management practices, which will be used in the on-farm comparisons. Data integrated across state cooperators, the Lancaster ARS, and farm demonstrations will serve as outreach information for the Soil and Water Conservation Society train the trainer program described under outreach. Objective 3. Develop and quantify the role of cover crops, living mulches, and alternative crops for mixed crop-livestock operations in MLRA 105. Following are examples of experiments that will be conducted in the driftless region, sometimes with additional sites outside of the region, to increase understanding of these systems.

1. Soil and nutrient run-off from corn-kura clover living mulch and conventional corn production. Passive collectors will be installed after sowing corn into suppressed kura clover or into a conventionally tilled seedbed. Collectors will measure sediment and runoff volume in three replicates. Collectors will be serviced after each rainfall and runoff event and runoff will be analyzed for N, P, sediment quantity, and runoff volume.
2. Carbon accumulation in corn/living mulch cropping system compared to conventional systems. A one-ha field at Lancaster that has been under continuous corn for 30 yr will be used to quantify effects of a kura clover living mulch system vs. conventional crop rotations on soil carbon accumulation. Stable ¹³C/¹²C ratios will allow quantification of C inputs from C3 vs. C4 components of the cropping systems. The cropping systems to be evaluated include continuous corn, corn-soybean, corn-alfalfa, and corn in a kura clover living mulch. Below-ground biomass in layers from 0 to 1 m will be measured in each plot area by collecting soil cores after corn harvest in 2003. Before planting in the spring of 2004, soil cores will be collected to determine existing ¹³C natural abundance ratios. Total organic C, water stable aggregates, particulate organic matter, and particle size distribution will be determined for each sample. Duplicate cores taken from each plot will be used to determine soil bulk density for each layer. After crop harvest in the fall of 2008, soil cores for ¹³C abundance ratios will be collected from the same locations and analyzed using the same protocol as for the initial sampling. Below ground biomass will also be assessed in 2008.
3. Manure utilization in living mulch or cover crop systems, with injection of manure on sloping areas. Air quality and nutrient utilization implications will be addressed. Measurements of NH₃ and N₂O emissions will be made in a cornfield harvested for silage. One strip will have a kura clover living mulch with winter wheat seeded for additional over-winter cover of the corn stubble. Adjacent strips will have kura clover living mulch without winter wheat and bare corn stubble. Liquid dairy manure will be injected into all three strips on the same day, within 2 to 3 weeks of winter wheat seeding. Immediately after manure injection, 12, 15-cm diameter PVC collars will be inserted in the soil in each treatment strip. Vented soil covers will be placed over each collar and three, 10-mL air samples withdrawn at 0, 15, and 30 min after cover placement and analyzed for NH₃ and N₂O concentration and flux rates will be calculated. After the cover has been removed, a soil sample will be collected from within the collar and analyzed for water content, NO₃ concentration, and pH. Measurements will be made at least six times in the fall between manure injection and soil freezing and three times in the spring from soil thawing to planting. Measurement dates will be selected to capture a range of soil wetness and temperature to typify ranges of fluxes on a seasonal basis. Measurements will be completed for 3 yr beginning in the fall of 2004.
4. Biological and economic comparison of the corn-kura clover living mulch system with a corn-soybean rotation. Replicated five-acre "farmlets" will be established at Morris, Minnesota to test long-term biological and economic performance of conventional corn-soybean rotations vs. corn production in a living stand of kura clover and hay or pasture production systems. In the second system corn will be grown every other year and a winter wheat, forage sorghum, kura clover intercrop will be used for forage in alternate years. Morris is not in the driftless region, but the climate is similar and facilities are ideal for large scale testing of the system components developed at the Lancaster ARS.
5. Forage management strategies to reduce P accumulation on the soil surface during autumn and maintain long-term ground cover. New alfalfa varieties with low set crowns and tolerance to continuous grazing will be compared to new standard varieties for ability to withstand autumn harvest. Reed canarygrass-kura clover mixtures, known to tolerate autumn harvest, will be compared to alfalfa for long-term productivity and quality. Biomass P will be quantified in autumn to determine the effect of autumn harvest on reducing P deposition on the soil surface, and subsequent runoff with spring snow melt. Yield and nutritive data will be collected over several years and processed through a simulation model (Schwab and Shaver, 2001) to estimate potential milk production from the various forage and management systems.
6. Management of cupplant for optimum environmental and agricultural benefit. Cupplant as a "buffer strip" crop for capturing nutrients will be tested with varying application rates of N, P, and K. Cupplant yield response to fertilization and its capacity to accumulate major nutrients from manure will be based on this experiment. Based on this experiment, another trial similar to "c" above will identify appropriate timing and rates of injected liquid manure.
7. Intercropping climbing legumes and corn for silage. Protein is the major corn silage limitation in rations for high producing cattle. Corn silage protein content increase will therefore reduce supplement (typically soybean or cotton seed meal) costs for livestock producers. Climbing beans (including lablab and others of tropical origin) will be grown with corn, in a kura clover living mulch, and harvested for yield and lab measures of feeding value. Glyphosate resistant corn will allow control of weeds a final time at the corn V3 stage, when beans will be sown adjacent to the cornrow. Yield, species composition and forage nutritive value of monoculture corn and corn-bean mixtures will be measured.

Objective 4. Develop alternative foragebased livestock management strategies for these karst areas and determine their impact on profitability; soil, water, and air quality; and nutrient balances.

1. Performance of growing steers offered diets containing cupplant silage or corn silage as the roughage component. Previous work utilizing cupplant as a feedstuff for ruminant animals focused on growth and reproductive efficiency of beef heifers relative to performance resulting from alfalfa haylage. The potential use of cup-plant as a fiber source will be compared to corn silage. Equivalent fiber amounts will be provided in the rations offered ad libitum to growing steers for 60 to 90 days. To provide similar levels of diet roughage, we will assume that corn silage contains 50% roughage and 50% grain while cupplant contains 100% roughage. Diets will be formulated to be isonitrogenous and offered as a total mixed ration. Diets will be balanced to meet or exceed the recommended nutritional requirements of growing steers. Dietary samples will be obtained every 14 days for analysis of DM, NDF, ADF, CP, and mineral content. A minimum of three pens per treatment will be utilized with 4 to 6 steers per pen. Growth and dry matter intake will be monitored every 28 days for calculation of average daily gain and gain efficiency.
2. Reproductive efficiency responses to lowering the crude protein intake of beef cows and heifers by feeding cupplant/alfalfa haylage mixture or straight alfalfa haylage rations. In vitro fertilization allows for the genetics capture of an animal that does not conceive naturally. In vitro fertilized embryos are "fragile" and conception rates may be less than naturally conceived embryos. Previous work with dairy cattle illustrated negative conception impacts with consumption of high dietary crude protein rations. This study will investigate the use of cupplant silage as a feedstuff for reducing the crude protein intake of beef cows impregnated with in vitro fertilized embryos, in vivo fertilized embryos, or artificially inseminated following heat detection. Sixty beef females of reproductive age will be assigned to one of the three reproductive treatments and two dietary treatments. Dietary treatments will consist of a mixture of 40% alfalfa haylage/60% cupplant silage or 100% alfalfa haylage. Pregnancy rates will be determined using ultrasound technology.
3. Whole farm nutrient balance (Mass Balance) analysis for operations in MLRA 105 regions of Southwest Wisconsin. Data indicate that average dairy operations in other parts of the state have an excess 92 kg N/ha or 117 kg/AU on the farm. However, no farm records exist on a regional scale in Southwest Wisconsin to determine farm gate nutrient balance. We will work with 30 to 35 farm operators to collect farm records. Wisconsin will lead with participation from the Discovery Farm and Pioneer Farm project participants. A questionnaire will be developed and completed during farm visits to determine management practices critical to environmental stewardship, especially those related to livestock feeding programs and manure management. Data will be used to determine the relationship between management practices and nutrient balance estimates on the farm. This study will compare advantages and disadvantages of grazing systems over the conventional systems found outside the region (for which data are already available.)
4. Characterization of manure and predicting volatilized nitrogen losses to better estimate manure nutrient credits. An in-vitro technique to determine the rate and extent of ammonia N losses from manure under controlled conditions (temperature, pH, concentration and agitation/air velocity) will be utilized. Thus, we propose to compare beef, dairy, sheep and other livestock manure N vulnerability to ammonia losses when managed under southwest Wisconsin management systems. In addition, manure samples from the beef and dairy farms used for the whole farm nutrient study (see above) will be characterized and related to feeding strategies on the farm. Finally, fecal samples from grazing steers, confinement steers, and grazing beef cows during various times of the year will be available through the controlled feeding trial described above.
5. Nutritional management strategies for grazing livestock to increase nutrient utilization efficiency. Under rotational grazing, it is expected that the requirement for supplemental P for stocker cattle is non-existent. A trial will be conducted studying the responses of rotationally grazed Holstein steers to mineral supplements with or without P. Four pasture replicates with 16-20 steers per pasture will be rotationally grazed. Each replicate will contain both mineral supplements and half of the steers in each will have access to respective treatments using mineral feeders with Calan doors. Forage and mineral samples will be collected over the grazing period and analyzed for nutrient content. Three steers from each replicate (12 total) will be fitted with fecal bags for fecal collections to estimate forage intake and determine the contribution of forage towards supplying the mineral requirements in relation to the mineral supplement. Performance and mineral intake data will also be gathered.
6. Incorporating annual grasses into pasture systems for growing beef steers. Winter wheat and sorghum x sudangrass hybrids offer opportunities to increase pasture production in early spring and late summer, respectively. Two pasture systems, one with a binary mixture of tall fescue and kura clover and the other with 50% area in the tall fescue-kura clover mixture and 50% in monoculture kura clover over-sown with winter wheat in autumn and sorghum x sudangrass in early summer, will be compared. Two pasture replicates (2.5 ha per experimental unit) with 16 steers will be rotationally grazed. Grazing management will be imposed to fully utilize available forage to maximize beef production per unit area. Forage yield and quality data will be collected in support of livestock production (grazing days, average daily gain, and gain per hectare) data.

Objective 5: Model potential impacts of current and alternative land management strategies (e.g. tillage, residue, cropping patterns and manure application rates) on soil and water quality in representative MLRA 105 landscapes. The Precision Agricultural Landscape Modeling System (PALMS) is the primary component of a decision support system (DSS) for precision agriculture under NASAs Regional Earth Science Applications Center (RESAC) program. DSSs must be capable of representing heterogeneous values of model parameters, and generating spatially distributed output. PALMS was designed as a tool for the agricultural-consultant user base. The model runs on an average laptop or desktop computer and has a user-friendly graphical interface and adequate support software. A field- to small- watershed-scale modeling approach was sought for precision agriculture applications and the utility and sustainability of PALMS in the agricultural community. Using a digital elevation map, a grid with a cell size of 10 - 20 m is set up on the field of interest. The model is run at each grid point with appropriate soil inputs. PALMS incorporates varying soil texture at the sub-field scale and assigns variable hydrological properties to each grid location based on values typical of its textural class. Hourly weather data are the forcings that drive the PALMS physical system. PALMS includes re-infiltration of overland water flow on a field; something missing from most, if not all, existing runoff models. PALMS simulates runoff patterns, as affected by anisotropic surface roughness (caused by row tillage), till-angle interactions with topography, and the change of random roughness with accumulated precipitation (Zobeck and Onstad, 1987). The highly variable influence of surface sealing, which has been demonstrated by various authors (Norton et al., 1993), is also included in PALMS. PALMS predicts a relatively complete hierarchy of ecosystem phenomena, including a) land surface physics (energy, water, and momentum exchange within the soil-vegetation-atmosphere system); b) canopy gas exchange (photosynthesis, respiration, and stomata behavior); c) vegetation phenology (seasonal cycles of leaf development, reproductive development, leaf senescence); d) whole-plant physiology (allocation of carbon and nitrogen, plant growth, tissue turnover, and age-dependent changes); and e) carbon and nitrogen cycling (flow of carbon and nitrogen between the atmosphere, vegetation, litter, and soils including mineralization and decomposition). Agricultural crops are simulated based on the approaches of CERES-Maize (Jones and Kiniry, 1986) and EPIC (Sharpley and Williams, 1990), so that both yield and harvest index are predicted. A dynamic total available soil nitrogen pool is used to explicitly simulate the effects of nutrient availability on plant photosynthesis. A 600 acre farm elhas been identified in MLRA 105 that currently has rotational crop management including corn, soybean and alfalfa. The farm consists of two subwatersheds, each draining into perennial streams that have USGS monitoring flumes installed to measure sediment loading, flow rate and P losses as a function of time. Runoff and erosion monitoring systems will be set up at two locations to measure soil and P losses. After each runoff event, a sub-sample of the suspension will be collected and stored at 4 ^oC for water quality analysis. Individual runoff samples will be used to determine: a) pH, b) sediment concentration, c) dissolved reactive P (DRP), d) total dissolved P (TDP), e) dissolved organic P (DOP, f) total P (TP), and g) bioavailable P (Sharpley, 1993). Phosphorus analyses will be performed on a Lachat Autoanalyzer (Zellweger Analytics, Milwaukee, WI) by following the standard molybdate-based colorimetric methods at a wavelength of 880 nm (Murphy and Riley, 1962). Several soil samples (0- to -5 cm depth) will be obtained from various locations around the field and subjected to various standard soil tests. After 2 years of runoff water monitoring and PALMS validation, management practices on the field will be adjusted and appropriate modifications made to the model algorithms. The new management scenario will be determined by 1) outcomes of plot- and field-scale experiments described under Objectives 2 and 4 above, and 2) farmer willingness to utilize any one or combination of these alternative practices. Runoff monitoring and PALMS validation will then continue under the new management scenario where relevant adjustments to model algorithms will be made using parameters obtained from the experiments completed under Objectives 2) and 4). This process will help validate PALMS for the new management practice(s) and will also provide some verification that trends in soil and water quality parameters at the plot scale are manifested at larger spatial scales. Once suitably verified, PALMS can be used to estimate impacts of integrating various management practices proposed in this project on a large scale within MLRA 105.

Measurement of Progress and Results

Outputs

• A regional publication integrating tillage research results obtained within the different states in this regional project.
• An extension bulletin targeting strip tillage in karst topography will be published in hardcopy and electronically.
• Refereed publications from trials being conducted at the Lancaster ARS and other areas supporting this project.
• Field days displaying progress and results of studies in this project.
• A model for client use that integrates results across project objectives and that estimates environmental effects of using various management practices in the karst region.
• A regional publication on alternative cropping and pasture systems for mixed crop-livestock farms on erosion-prone soils will be developed.

Outcomes or Projected Impacts

• Stronger links between farmers and this regional research committee will be developed. Improved production methods for both animal and crop production systems will occur. Positive economic and environmental impacts should be realized. These systems should result in improved production and reduced soil erosion losses and nonpoint-source impacts on water quality.

Milestones

(0): plots must be established on the Lancaster ARS before tillage research can begin at that site (2003). The Soil and Water Conservation Society must obtain a SARE grant to support the train the trainer program addressing conservation opportunities in the new farm program and linking this with research results from this project (2003). Selected forage and cover crop plots must be established. Farm cooperators must be identified.

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Outreach Plan

At least four activities and two cooperating partners will address outreach. The Soil and Water Conservation Society will submit a SARE grant proposal addressing train the trainer activities in MLRA 105. This program will focus on conservation management activities supported by the new farm program. Research data from this project will serve as a basis of implementing recommendations to farmers. At least two on-farm trials comparing strip tillage to another farmer selected tillage system will be conducted. An Extension Bulletin emphasizing strip tillage management in MLRA 105 will be published both in hard copy and electronically. A field day targeting objectives of this project will be held at the Lancaster ARS in conjunction with the annual meeting of this committee in year 4 of this project. Involvement of 30+ farm operators from the Discovery and Pioneer farms project will further strengthen producer activities relative to crop production and animal system management and producer education (Objective 4c).

Results from the proposed research will be communicated to the scientific community through refereed journal articles, to county extension agents through statewide extension publications, and to farmers directly through field days held annually at the Lancaster Agricultural Research Station, e.g., the Lancaster Cow-Calf Day. A Professional Ag Workers Field Day will be held at least biennially in conjunction with a committee annual meeting.

Organization/Governance

The organization and conduct of this project are in accordance with the procedures in the Manual for Cooperative Regional Research, USDA-CSRS, (http://www.wisc.edu/ncra/regionalmanual.htm#PolicyProcedure, accessed 1/28/03). The Regional Technical Committee (RTC) will plan/conduct research under the approved project and will coordinate research activities of the participating states, institutions, and agencies. The RTC will be composed of one representative per state appointed by the respective directors of the five AES participating, an administrative advisor (non-voting) appointed by the North Central Regional Directors, a representative of the CSREES (non-voting), a representative from the National Soil Tilth Laboratory (Ames), and a representative of the U. S. Dairy Forage Research Center (Madison). The RTC will elect a chair, chair elect, and secretary from its membership.

The RTC shall meet yearly in June, July or August. The committee chair, with administrative advisor's approval, will call this meeting to report, review, and discuss progress regarding project objectives. Should additional RTC meetings be necessary, the chair, with the approval of the administrative advisor, will call such meetings. The chair, in consultation with the administrative advisor, shall notify the RTC members of the meetings, prepare the agenda, and preside at meetings of the RTC and executive committee. The chair (or the secretary in the chairs absence) will prepare the annual progress and final reports and submit them to the administrative advisor. The secretary will record and distribute meeting minutes to committee members. Sub-committees may be appointed by the chair for specific assignments.

The RTC will plan a schedule of publications and arrange for the preparation of regional publications. At least one year prior to the scheduled termination date, the RTC will recommend extension, revision or termination of the regional project. The RTC will arrange for the preparation of the termination report when required.

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Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

IA, IL, IN, MN, VA, WI

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

National Soil Tilth Laboratory, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, USDA-ARS/Wisconsin