Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

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. A preliminary assessment using the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) database shows the following changes between 1930 and 2000 in crop production within the 29 counties of the "Driftless Area" (MLRA 105) in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. Corn for grain increased from 0.46 to 0.99 million ha while hay production went up from 0.24 to 0.47 million ha. Acreage devoted to both crops peaked around 1980 at 1.15 and 0.70 million ha, respectively, but declined thereafter. Oat for grain decreased from 0.51 to 0.08 million ha while soybean became the important rotational crop increasing from 0 to 0.51 million ha. 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 field study to examine tillage and K management for first-year corn after soybean was established in 2004 at the Lancaster Agricultural Research Station. Tillage treatments included fall chisel, spring field cultivator, strip-till, and no-till with K fertilizer either broadcast, applied with the planter, or side dressed to emerged corn at rate of 30 and 60 lb potash/a. No significant yield differences were observed. Runoff was measured in the strip-till and chisel treatments. Soil erosion losses for chisel plowing were approximately four times greater than that observed for strip tillage, with both planted on the contour of about 6% slope. Water runoff losses followed similar patterns. Observation also indicated that residue movement with runoff water was considerably greater with chisel plowing than with strip tillage. Other similar research in Iowa also addresses several tillage systems including Strip-tillage. Phosphorus delivery to surface waters is an important component to the sustainability of cropping practices in the non-glaciated regions of MN, WI, IL, and IA. The recently developed P Indexes of WI, IA, and MN allow a quantitative estimate of the risk of P loss to surface water. A study was conducted to contrast the indexes. This effort identified the unique characteristics of the P indexes as well as similarities by using data describing the same 200 farm fields for each index. The most striking differences were found to be in the way manure application was considered. The WI index estimates the risk of acute loss of winter applied manure due to precipitation after application while the MN index uses an algorithm which considered losses with snowmelt. The IA index doesnt consider P loss risk directly from unincorporated manure but instead considers the effect of the change in soil levels. All three indexes estimate the P loss risk based on total P. WI and MN use soil organic matter to estimate total P but IA does not. The WI P index values were about 3 times MN values and MN values about 3 times IA values. This is not entirely accounted for in the recommended break points for risk categories. Although there has been considerable collaboration in the development of the three indexes more needs to be done to ensure consistency across state boundaries within a similar geomorphic region such as the driftless area. Objective 3. Develop and quantify the role of cover crops, living mulches, and alternative crops for mixed crop-livestock operations in MLRA 105. In replicated plots in southern Wisconsin, yields and soil N levels were compared for continuous corn grown with relay-seeded Italian ryegrass, fall-seeded rye, or no cover to a 2-year rotation of corn grown with kura clover living-mulch or relay-seeded red clover followed by one year of clover production. Manure slurry was applied on a P-basis in November or April to all plots and additional fertilizer was applied to continuous corn plots at planting in early May to supply 180 kg/ha of available N. In 2003 (dry summer), corn silage yields ranged from 18.4 to 23 Mg/ha and were greatest with red clover and lowest with ryegrass. In 2004 (wet spring, cool summer), corn silage yields ranged from 16.6 to 20 Mg/ha and were greater with clovers and no cover than with rye and ryegrass. Cover crop/living mulch growth by late October was greatest with ryegrass (1 Mg/ha); spring growth by early May was similar for rye, kura and red clovers in 2003 (1 Mg/ha) and greatest for rye in 2004 (3.5 Mg/ha). June soil nitrate (0-30 cm) ranged from 21 to 43 mg/kg in 2003 and from 7 to 12 mg/kg in 2004 and was highest for corn grown with ryegrass. In both years, soil nitrate levels (0-120 cm) after corn ranged from 31 to 54 kg/ha and were greatest with clovers and lowest with ryegrass. Fall nitrate levels dropped to 10 to 37 kg/ha when a year of clover production followed corn. In the year following corn, yields of red clover were greater than kura clover in 2003 (11.4 vs. 8.6 Mg/ha); yields of both clovers were similar in 2004 (8.3 Mg/ha) even though red clover was reseeded in April due to relay seeding failure in 2003. Timing of manure application did not influence yields or soil N levels. Ruminants often use protein and fiber in red clover more efficiently than alfalfa. Increased adoption of red clover in feeding systems will be limited unless cropping systems are developed to take advantage of the aggressive establishment, slower maturation, and high productivity of red clover in short rotations with cereal crops. In 2002 and 2003 at Prairie du Sac Wisconsin, Marathon red clover and leaf-hopper resistant 54H91 alfalfa were seeded alone in April or August or seeded in April into winter wheat fertilized with a high rate of N (85 kg/ha) to maximize the yields of wheat silage or wheat grain and straw. During two production years, red clover and alfalfa were harvested under two cutting managements. During the 2002 and 2003 establishment years, red clover dry matter yield was 1.0 to 2.8 Mg/ha greater than alfalfa when spring seeded alone or with wheat. Red clover and alfalfa established in 2002 had similar total yields over two production years (22.9 Mg/ha) but August seedings produced the greatest yields of red clover (24.8 Mg/ha) and the lowest yields of alfalfa (21.4 Mg/ha). Production year cutting management did not affect red clover yields but shifting from 4- to 3-cut management increased alfalfa yields by 18%. After two production years, stand density of red clover was marginal compared to alfalfa (57 vs. 116 plants/square meter); stand densities of both species were 35% greater with August seedings than with April seedings. Stands established in 2003 were abandoned in 2004 due to excessive rodent damage. Starting in 2005, this study will be repeated using newer red clover and alfalfa varieties. Forage quality of the red clover and alfalfa production systems is also being evaluated. Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) tiller production has an impact on pasture productivity and is strongly influenced by N fertilization. Our objective was to determine seasonal tillering patterns in orchardgrass managed under a typical intensive, rotational grazing system. Beginning in May, a 1.5 ha paddock composed equally of orchardgrass and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) on an area basis was grazed by lactating dairy cattle every 30 d to a 15-cm stubble. Before grazing each month, orchardgrass plants were sampled (10-cm diameter section) at six random locations, and number of tillers, tiller dry wt., tiller length, and number of leaves per tiller were measured. Nitrogen (56 kg ha-1) was applied by the producer in late June. Number of tillers were similar in May and June (2020 tillers m-2), but increased to 6350 tillers m-2 in July following N application. Mean tiller length declined throughout the grazing season. Mean tiller dry wt. increased through June, but declined in July due to the production of new, smaller tillers. Number of tillers declined during the fall. Further study is needed to determine N application dates that provide optimum pasture DM production and tiller density. A diverse group of temperate grasses are intensively grazed by dairy and beef producers. Our objective was to determine dry matter and quality profiles within swards of bluegrass, ryegrass, orchardgrass, quackgrass, reed canarygrass, smooth bromegrass, timothy, meadow fescue, tall fescue, and soft-leaf tall fescue. When each grass reached 25 to 30 cm height during the spring, summer, and fall, forage contained within three sward layers (greater than 20 cm, 15 to 20 cm, and 10 to 15 cm) was harvested. In the spring, DM density decreased from upper to lower layers in quackgrass, smooth bromegrass, and timothy, while DM density increased from upper to lower layers in meadow fescue, reed canarygrass, ryegrass, and both tall fescues. Within bluegrass and orchardgrass, DM density was similar across layers. Crude protein (CP) decreased and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) increased from upper to lower layers in all grasses. Meadow fescue, orchardgrass, and reed canarygrass had greater CP than other grasses at greater than 20 cm, but meadow fescue, ryegrass, and timothy had lower NDF. Partitioning roots for studying cropping systems containing more than one species is important since root growth interaction could influence system performance. The study objective was to test a method for segregating plant species roots from soil samples taken in a mixed stand of corn (Zea mays L.), a C4, and kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.), a C3 plant. Soil cores containing both corn and kura clover roots were obtained at three distances from the corn row and at two depths in a Rozetta silt loam soil (moderately well drained, fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Hapludalf). Root composition of these C4 and C3 species was based on 13C/12C ratios expressed as d13C . A significant linear relationship (r2 = 0.99) was found between the d13C and the percentage of corn roots in samples containing known ratios of corn and kura clover roots. This relationship was used to determine corn and kura clover root percentages in field samples. Ratios of 13C/12C effectively segregated corn and kura clover root materials obtained from soil samples and seem to be a powerful tool for partitioning roots of C3 and C4 plants in similar studies. Corn silage is an important source of forage for dairy cattle in the USA because of its relatively consistent nutritive value, high yield, and high energy density compared to other forage crops. Low crude protein (CP) concentration in corn silage is its major limitation in dairy rations. Climbing beans are grown with corn for grain in the tropics and subtropics, and similar intercropping in the northern USA could result in silage with greater CP concentration than corn alone. In this experiment corn was intercropped with three climbing beans: lablab bean [Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet], velvet bean [Mucuna pruriens (L.) D.C.], and scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.), or grown in monoculture near Arlington and Lancaster, WI. Corn was sown at 33,000 (high density) or 22,000 (low density) plants/acre in early May. Beans were sown in rows six inches beside corn rows at 33,000 plants/acre 2 or 4 weeks after corn planting. Effects of corn density, bean planting date, and bean species on the yield and nutritive value of these mixtures were evaluated and mixture yield and nutritive value were compared to monoculture corn. Averaged over locations and management treatments the lablab bean-corn mixture produced 8.9 tons/acre of whole plant dry matter compared to 8.7 tons/acre in monoculture corn with no detectable differences (P=0.1373) among mixture treatments. Early bean planting decreased total mixture yield 0.22 tons/acre (P=0.0065) while the high density corn treatment yielded 2.1 tons/acre more than the low corn density treatment. Mean percentages of beans in the mixtures were: lablab bean 8.8%, scarlet runner bean 5%, and velvet bean 3.4%. Although addition of bean had no effect on total yield there was an effect on yield of the corn component of mixtures. Whole plant corn yield was 0.45 tons/acre less in mixture with lablab bean compared to when it was grown alone. This shift in species composition of mixtures was great enough to alter laboratory measures of forage nutritive value. Addition of lablab bean increased neutral detergent fiber concentration from 37.9 to 39.2% (P=0.0072) and acid detergent fiber concentration from 19.6 to 21.2% (P<0.0001) in mixtures. Bean planting date had no significant effect on mixture CP concentrations however mixtures with lower corn density contained a half percentage unit more CP (P<.0001) than the high density corn treatment. Beans increased (P<0.0001) the CP concentration of all mixtures, with lablab bean-corn mixtures containing 7.4% CP compared to 6.5 in monoculture corn. This experiment showed that lablab bean has the greatest potential of the three beans to increase CP concentration without compromising silage yield. Objective 4. Develop alternative forage based livestock management strategies for these karst areas and determine their impact on profitability; soil, water, and air quality; and nutrient balances. The utilization of Silphium perfoliatum L. (cup plant) as an alternative forage component in back grounding diets for cattle is being investigated. Cup plant silage is replacing corn silage with diet treatments consisting of 100% corn silage, 67%:33% corn silage and cup plant silage, and 33%:67% corn silage and cup plant silage. Beef steers are offered these diets for a minimum of 84 d to study performance, intake, and efficiency. It was observed in the first trial that the inclusion of cup plant reduces performance of back grounding cattle due to its lower energy value in comparison to corn silage. A follow-up trial is planned. Another trial was designed to investigate the performance responses for rotationally grazed Holstein steers offered a trace mineralized salt supplement containing no additional phosphorus or 6% phosphorus (2/3 trace mineralized salt and 1/3 dicalcium phosphate). Mineral intakes were recorded at each paddock rotation. Pasture samples were taken every other week during the grazing season for estimation of forage availability and nutrient analysis. Based upon the forage phosphorus content, the animals requirement could be met by the forage alone. Removing phosphorus from managed pastures on soils with adequate phosphorus does not appear to negatively impact performance of grazing Holstein steers. Impacts 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 quantitative inventory of changes in crop acreage emphasizing a corn-soybean rotation, driven largely by economics, has shown the importance of developing conservation cropping/animal systems suited for this rotation within the karst regions of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota to protect this vulnerable landscape and water resources. 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. The preliminary data suggests strip tillage could reduce erosion losses and increase soil carbon substantially in this region if adopted on a large scale. Elimination of all tillage resulted in similar yields to the other systems on this landscape. Producers could save substantial money by omitting most tillage. This could save approximately $37 per ha. For example Grant Co. Wisconsin produced about 22,000 ha of soybean in 2003, most of which would be rotated to corn. Using a no-till approach could save farmers in this county alone at least $825,000, which could be invested in other components of the farming operations. The comparison of the P indexes illustrates the limitations and effectiveness of the P loss risk tools of IA, WI, and MN. The people that advise farmers on this issue in these neighboring states need to be aware of the differences in the philosophy used in the development of each index as well as interpretation of the results obtained. This can have significant impact on the ability of farmers to demonstrate effective soil and water management techniques and in some cases qualify for cost share dollars and/or stay within regulatory guidelines. Objective 3.Develop and quantify the role of cover crops, living mulches, and alternative crops for mixed crop-livestock operations in MLRA 105. Studies of cover crops and intercrops of forage grasses and legumes with cereal crops to improve yields and nutrient use, and to reduce soil loss from cropland were conducted. A system to produce corn in a living mulch of kura clover, resulting in 112 to 168 kg per ha reduction in nitrogen fertilizer inputs. Preliminary results demonstrate similar amounts of water runoff from living mulch and conventionally produced corn on hillsides, but lower amounts of soil and phosphorous moving off of the field. Sowing climbing beans (velvet bean, lablab bean, or scarlet runner bean) with corn for silage increases crude protein concentrations by 14% compared to corn silage alone. This increase in crude protein will reduce purchased protein concentrate costs for dairy farmers. Results of these studies have been published in popular press articles. Objective 4. Develop alternative forage based livestock management strategies for these karst areas and determine their impact on profitability; soil, water, and air quality; and nutrient balances. It was observed in the first trial that the inclusion of cup plant reduces performance of back grounding cattle due to its lower energy value in comparison to corn silage. This may impact adoption of this approach. A follow-up trial is planned. In another study, based upon the forage phosphorus content, the animals requirement could be met by the forage alone. Removing phosphorus from managed pastures on soils with adequate phosphorus does not appear to negatively impact performance of grazing Holstein steers. Animal producers using this information to reduce dietary P will also reduce P content of manure and subsequently risk of loss to surface water.