Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

State reports were presented by all in attendance. University of Tennessee faculty member Renta Nave conducted two tours, one of the middle Tennessee Research and Extension Center and on at Triple L Ranch at 5121 Bedford Creek Rd., Franklin TN, 37064. Steve Norberg will become chair and Docas Franklin was elected Secretary for next year.

OBJECTIVE 1. Evaluate legume cultural and management strategies emphasizing legume establishment, N cycling and use efficiency, and GHG emissions. 

Kansas – (Peter Tomlinson)

Specific objectives

1. Identify practices that optimize legume establishment and persistence.
2. Compare N cycling and use efficiency of ruminants grazing pastures with and without forage legumes.

iii. Determine the impact of legumes on the GHG footprint of livestock production systems.

Objective 1-iii) In the southern great plains winter wheat is used a source of forage in the winter months and provides producers the flexibility to manage their wheat pasture either for the dual purpose of grazing and wheat harvest or to graze the wheat out of the forage is needed. The nitrous oxide foot print, a component of the total GHG foot print of winter wheat has only been measured in a limited number of studies. Nitrous oxide measurements were collected from winter wheat that was not grazed during the 2015-2016 growing season to establish a baseline for nitrous oxide emission in Kansas. Cumulative N2O emissions ranging from 0.24 to 0.32 kg N2O-N ha-1 and were not effect by the legacy of past cover crop or nitrogen treatments applied after the wheat or during the sorghum phase of a wheat-sorghum-soybean rotation.

During the 2015-16 cover cropping period (July 2015 to March 2016) N₂O fluxes were greater during the 3 weeks after cover crop planting for all treatments and decreased and remained at background levels thereafter, except chemical fallow. The highest emissions occurred 2 weeks after planting, in all treatments, ranging from 31 to 34 g N₂O-N ha^-1 day^-1. Furthermore, the chemical fallow treatment had significantly greater N₂O emissions from 3 weeks after cover crops planting to close to the first frost (from 16 July 2015 to 21 Oct 2015) when compared to the other cover crop treatments. During this period, the cover crops and double-crop soybean reduced emissions by 65%, on average. The sorghum sudan (0.80 kg N₂O-N ha^-1) and daikon radish (0.90 kg N₂O-N ha^-1) cover crop treatments had significantly lower cumulative emissions than chemical fallow (1.62 kg N₂O-N ha^-1) and all were not different for double crop soybeans (1.11 kg N₂O-N ha^-1) .

University of Nebraska –( John A. Guretzky, Walter H. Schacht, and James MacDonald) In 2016, we conducted an experiment in Lincoln, NE, that evaluated effects of establishment of perennial legumes with an annual warm-season grass as a companion crop.  We hypothesized that planting of legumes in binary mixtures with sorghum-sudangrass (SSG), a drought hardy annual warm-season grass, would increase forage mass and reduce weed competition without negatively affecting legume establishment. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block with a split plot arrangement of treatments and three replications. Whole-plots consisted of three common forage legume species: alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. 'Ranger'), birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L. 'Norcen'), and [red clover (Trifolium pratense L. 'Medium') and three native prairie legume species: Illinois bundleflower [Desmanthus illinoensis (Michx.) MacM.], purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea Vent.), and roundhead lespedeza (Lespedeza capitata Michx.). Subplots consisted of four annual companion crop treatments: 1) none (negative control) and forage harvested in October; 2) none with weedy grasses sprayed (positive control) and forage harvested in October; 3) sorghum-sudangrass seeded at 43 PLS m^-2 and forage harvested in October; and 4) sorghum-sudangrass seeded at 43 PLS m^-2 and harvested mid-summer and again in October. Legume and SSG establishment was measured in 25 cell frames (5 x 5) with each cell measuring 15 x 15 cm. A 1 was recorded when legumes or SSG were present and 0 was recorded when absent in each cell. Frequency of occurrence (%) and density of each species were computed with these data.

Specific objectives ii. Compare N cycling and use efficiency of ruminants grazing pastures with and without forage legumes.

In the dung decomposition experiments designed to address this objective (Mead, NE), nutritive value of all pasture diets was high and comparable in June, but was relatively greater in legume-interseeded pastures in August. CO₂ flux did not differ among treatments in June but tended to be greater from dung excreted in legume-interseeded pastures in August which may be due to more soluble nutrients readily available for microbial breakdown. Dung decomposition depended on year, season, dung treatment, and harvest time interactions. Dung from N-fertilized pasture was least at 30 days after placement in the June 2014 experiment but decomposed more slowly in the June 2015 experiment. Dung from legume-interseeded pastures displayed similar trends as dung from unfertilized pastures in June 2014 but was more erratic in June 2015. Dung remaining was similar between treatments in Aug 2014 but greatest from unfertilized pastures in Aug 2015. Soil Water Extractable C and N (WEC and WEN) depended on year, dung treatment, and harvest time interactions. WEC did not show consistent responses with dung treatments and harvest times but tended to be higher initially in 2015 than 2014. WEN tended to be higher at 3 and 7 days after placement in 2014 than 2015, but there were no dung treatment effects in either year. WEN declined with increasing days after placement in 2014 but WEC, on the other hand, declined with increasing days after placement in 2015. Overall, all dung collection treatments: legume-interseeded, N-fertilized, and unfertilized smooth bromegrass pastures lost dry matter at similar rates across 30-d periods and showed similar CO₂ flux, suggesting limited effects of grazing cattle diets, though different in nutrient composition and digestibility, on decomposition of dung in pastures. The greater drivers of dung decomposition were season and time dung had to decompose in the field, factors strongly influenced by precipitation and temperature patterns. The WEC and WEN data also did not show strong differences between dung treatments and no dung controls suggesting limited effects of grazing cattle diets on movement of nutrients from dung in soil.

The Ohio State University – (David Baker) The Ohio State University is part of a three state (TN, NC, OH) collaborative study to characterize nutritive value and forage yield of alfalfa grown in monoculture and in mixtures with tall fescue and bermudagrass under four harvest frequencies (21, 28, 35, and 42-day cutting intervals). The study was established in TN and OH in 2015 and data was collected in and is being collected in 2017. Plots were established at NC in 2016. In Ohio in 2016, there was no species treatment x cutting interval interaction. Pure stands of alfalfa yielded 4.7 and 5.6 Mg ha-1 more (P < 0.05) than alfalfa with bermudagrass and tall fescue, respectively, over the 2016 growing season. The 21-day interval had the lowest seasonal forage (8.8 Mg ha-1), the 35-day interval was had the highest forage yield (12.5 Mg ha-1) and while the 28-day (11.6 Mg ha-1) and 42-day (11.1 Mg ha-1) were intermediate. The data collected will serve as a basis for grazing and harvest management recommendations that can optimize forage availability and forage nutritive value, according to region and livestock requirements. Extension programming will be developed to share results and train producers and advisors about alfalfa production and management alternatives. The project is funded by the USDA-AFRI Alfalfa and Forage Research Program.                 The Ohio State University has collaborated with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and Great Parks of Hamilton County (City of Cincinnati) to collect and propagate running buffalo clover (RBC) (Trifolium stoloniferum) plants from natural sites in Ohio. Running buffalo clover is a federally protected, endangered legume species. Studies to date have found RBC has high shade tolerance, readily propagates by stolons, and has excellent nutritive value. Its potential as a forage species in native pastures is not known, however, insufficient plant material is available for the conduct of research studies. This study has procured 25 RBC stolons from each of three sites in Ohio, and successfully cloned plantlets from these stolons. These plants can serve as a resource for replanting back into natural areas (especially for small populations having

                One of the most destructive insect pests of alfalfa is the potato leafhopper, Empoasca fabae Harris (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). Loss estimates from this pest range from $32-66/ha. There is evidence that climate change is associated with earlier appearance of the leafhopper by migration in alfalfa fields each year and that the severity of potato leafhopper damage increases with rising temperatures. Scientists at The Ohio State University, University of Maryland, and University of Wisconsin are collaborating in research that will be the basis for revising the economic action threshold for insecticide treatment of potato leafhopper in alfalfa in light of changes in cultivars (i.e. host resistance to this pest), and the potential tolerance by grass-alfalfa mixtures. In Maryland, scientists will also relate leafhopper injury to rates of nitrogen fixation, providing a test of whether resistant cultivars and alfalfa-grass mixtures are an effective means to reduce damage to nitrogen fixation of alfalfa. This is important because an insecticide application late in the growth cycle is not practical nor would it be perceived as necessary by producers since it would have limited to no effect on yield of the current growth cycle. Ohio experienced heavy potato leafhopper pressure in the trial in 2016. Mean number of leafhoppers (adults+nymphs) per sweep in unsprayed plots in three summer growth cycles ranged from 10 to 26 in the resistant cultivar, 39 to 118 in the susceptible cultivar, and 42 to 156 in the susceptible alfalfa cultivar and grass mixture. Data will be summarized once the study is completed in 2018. In addition to providing new guidelines to forage producers and consultants, the research will demonstrate the value of leafhopper resistant alfalfa and grass-alfalfa mixtures, which will increase adoption of those practices, leading to more sustainable approaches to protect alfalfa from this key pest. The project is funded by the USDA-AFRI Alfalfa and Forage Research Program.

University of Arkansas Project title: Effect of delayed wrapping and wrapping source on nitrogen balance and blood urea nitrogen in gestating sheep offered alfalfa silage

Collaborators - K. P. Coffey, W. K. Coblentz, (USDA-ARS Dairy Forage Research Center, Marshfield, WI), D. Philipp

Short-term Outcomes: Alfalfa silage was baled in large round bales, and then wrapped with 2 different types of plastic either the day of baling, or 1, 2 or 3 days after baling. Nitrogen retention was greater in sheep offered silages wrapped with plastic containing an oxygen-limiting barrier. Nitrogen apparent absorption decreased with time delay between wrapping and baling. However, urinary N also decreased with time delay between wrapping and baling such that overall N retention was not affected by time delay. This provides producers with information to allow them to make better management decisions about how to feed alfalfa silage based on how it was managed after baling.

Outputs: Scientific abstracts were presented at the national meeting of the American Society of Animal Science. This research was the subject of a MS thesis for Valens Niyigena, a Fulbright graduate student from Rwanda.

Activities: Alfalfa silages were baled, then wrapped with plastic either with or without an oxygen-limiting barrier either the day of baling or 1, 2 or 3 days after baling. Pregnant crossbred ewes (n = 16; 3-5 yr old; 63.6 ± 1.73 kg) were offered the alfalfa silage from 1 of 8 treatments in a 3-period study. Silage intake, digestibility, and nutrient balance were measured. Intake and digestibility were correlated with silage fermentation characteristics to determine the best predictors of animal performance from silage fermentation profiles.

Milestones:

The first manuscript from this work should be submitted by October, 2017 with a subsequent manuscript by February, 2018.

OBJECTIVE 2. Assess the efficacy of secondary plant metabolites in legume species for increasing N retention and improving N cycling in forage-livestock systems.

Michigan State University – (Kim Cassida), in collaboration with seven other universities, continued two research trials to develop a widely-adapted birdsfoot trefoil variety with optimal condensed tannin content. An M.S. degree was completed on the project.

The Ohio State University (David Baker) is part of a six state collaboration (OH, PA, MI, WI, KS, CA) to evaluate a new transgenic alfalfa cultivar with reduced lignin (RL) content developed by scientists at Forage Genetics International, The Samuel Robert Noble Foundation and the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center and released in commercially with Monsanto Co. under the brand of HarvXtraTM alfalfa. This cultivar should expand the length of time during a growing cycle when forage can be harvested that has acceptable nutritive value for ruminant animals with high nutritional requirements. Field trials were established in the six states in Spring 2015 to compare the RL cultivar HarvXtra-008 with cultivar 54R02 selected for high yield and cultivar WL 355RR selected for high nutritive value. Growth cycles of in the seeding year were hand sampled at 20, 23, 27, 30, 34, and 37 days of regrowth to a 5-cm stubble height. Across all six states in the seeding year, HarvXtra-008 forage had consistently lower neutral detergent fiber (-2 to -3.8 units of NDF), lower acid detergent lignin (-1 unit of ADL), and higher NDF digestibility (+4.2 to +5.4 units of NDFD) compared with the other alfalfa varieties. This represents a 7 to 10 day advantage in nutritive value for HarvXtra-008. When cut on the 38-day schedule, HarvXtra-008 yielded similarly or more and often had higher nutritive value than the other varieties cut more frequently on 33-day or 28-day schedules. Results with HarvXtra-008 from the first year are promising for alfalfa growers who want to maintain high forage nutritive value while increasing forage yields with less frequent harvests. More years of data will show how harvest interval affects nutritive value, yield, stand persistence, and profitability of alfalfa with the reduced lignin transgenic trait. The project is funded in part by Forage Genetics.

OBJECTIVE 3. Quantify effects of pasture management strategies on N use efficiency by ruminant animals and N cycling in herbage and soils of grassland agro-ecosystems.

University of Iowa – Ranga Appuhamy

Specific objective: The objective of the present study was to quantify the impact of alfalfa in corn silage-based diets on nitrogen utilization efficiency for milk production and urinary nitrogen excretions of dairy cows using a meta-analysis.  

An extensive literature search was conducted for studies reporting measured urinary N output (g/d), milk yield and composition, and feed intake of lactating dairy cows fed diets containing corn silage, and alfalfa silage or alfalfa hay representing together more than 90% of dietary forage. A total of 123 measurements (treatment means) of urinary N output and the other variables were retrieved from 30 studies. The total forage content of the diets varies between 28 to 100% of DM with a mean of 54% of DM. The percentage of alfalfa in forage ranged from 8% to 83% at the expense of corn silage with a mean of 44%. Within this range, alfalfa did not significantly affect milk yield (P = 0.165), milk protein yield (P = 0.065) and milk protein produced per unit of dietary CP intake (milk protein efficiency; P = 0.087). Urinary N output (g/d) increased significantly (P < 0.001) as the percentage of alfalfa in the diet increased. However, the alfalfa percentage did not significantly affect (P = 0.063) N excreted in urine relative N intake. This indicates the possibility to reduce urinary N excretions by avoiding surplus protein supply to cows (e.g., reducing dietary CP content) regardless of the forage composition. Increasing alfalfa at the expense of corn silage did not impact on milk yield (P = 0.781), milk protein efficiency (P = 0.218), and percentage of nitrogen intake excreted in urine (0.901) in early lactating cows (DIM < 100). Whereas, it significantly increased milk yield (P < 0.025) and milk protein yield (P = 0.037) without changing percentage of dietary N excreted in urine (P = 0.383). The present study showed that corn silage could be replaced with alfalfa hay or alfalfa silage over wide range replacement rates without affecting milk yield, milk protein yield, and proportion of dietary N excreted in urine. Increasing alfalfa content in the diet at the expense of corn silage might enhance production performance in mid and late stages of lactation than in early lactation.

Tennessee - Renata Nave Oakes, Sindhu Jagadamma

Specific objective i. Alternatives to conventional nitrogen fertilization on tall fescue and bermudagrass

In the southeastern US, managing grazing pastures can come with challenges. Some challenges arise due to the growth rate of desired forages through the seasons. The humid transition zone of the Southeast is characterized by mixture of tall fescue and bermudagrass pastures (Hoveland et al., 1997). In the southeast, tall fescue serves as an excellent forage crop due to its persistency, high nutritive value and high yield potential (Nave et al., 2015). Also, being a cool-season perennial grass (C₃), it reaches its maximum productivity during the spring months, i.e., March through early May, declining as warmer months approaches. During the reduced growth rate of the tall fescue, other forages, such as bermudagrass, a warm-season perennial grass (C₄), can be integrated to complement tall fescue and fill in the gap with the potential to increase forage production in the summer (Fribourg et al., 1979). The objective of this study was to evaluate different sources of N in tall fescue [Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb) Dumort] and bermudagrass [Cynadon dactylon (L.) Pers. cv. Vaughn’s # 1], to determine its economic viability and sustainability. Our hypothesis is that alternative sustainable sources of N when compared to conventional methods, will reduce costs associated with forage production and increase sustainability of the forage production system. If significant relationships between forage nutritive value, yield and cost are detected, this information could allow us to make informed recommendations on effective and cost saving alternative N source. This information can be helpful to producers in the Southeast by providing recommendation guidelines on nitrogen fertilization of cool and warm season pastures based on economic viability and sustainability.

This study was conducted at the University of Tennessee Plateau AgResearch and Education Center (PREC) in Crossville, TN (36° 0’ N, 85° 7’ W, 580-m elevation). Two experiments (one for each species) were established with tall fescue and bermudagrass. Experimental period occurred from April-October 2016 to 2017, and the experimental design for each experiment was a completely randomized block design with six treatments and four replications per treatment (n = 24). For both experiments treatments were as followed: 1) no N fertilization; 2) grass and white clover (cv. Ladino-Will) 3) grass and red clover (cv. Cinnamon Plus) 4) grass and cowpea (Iron Clay) 5) fertilization with poultry litter at a rate of 4,483 kg ha^-1; and 6) fertilization with ammonium nitrate at a rate of 197.27 kg ha^-1. Data analyses and results are being currently processed and analyzed.

Specific objective ii. Nutritive value and forage accumulation of alfalfa and alfalfa-mixtures as influenced by forage management.

Alfalfa is an important perennial legume with high crude protein content and capacity to produce high yields without the use of nitrogen fertilizers, being then, a good source of herbage for ruminants. When alfalfa is incorporated to ruminant rations, it can decrease the necessity of extra protein supplementation.

Mixtures of legume and grasses can provide positive balance between mass and quality offering a balanced nutrition for cattle. Grasses supplying fiber and legumes supplying protein and minerals, yet together contributing to a good mass accumulation.

Tall fescue is a the most predominant cool-season forage crop grown in the Southeast US, and endophyte-free varieties have the potential to maintain grazing cattle without the adverse effects caused by the endophyte. As well as Bermudagrass, in which cows and calves are grazed on during the warm-season. These two grasses show then a good potential if grown together with alfalfa in mixtures. Good forage management can lead to substantial animal weight gains, however it is necessary to assess the best harvest period in which production and nutrition are optimal in mixed stands. The objective of this study is to evaluate the nutritional value and production of alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures subject to different harvest intervals. This study was conducted during the 2016 growing season and continues in the 2017 growing season at three different locations: the University of Tennessee, North Carolina State University and the Ohio State University.

The plots are composed of either pure alfalfa, alfalfa mixtures with tall fescue and alfalfa mixture with bermudagrass. Four cutting frequencies were evaluated (21, 28, 35 and 42 days harvest, respectively T1, T2, T3 and T4), totalizing 12 treatments replicated four times.

Forage samples were collected every harvest day, dried on a temperature of 65˚C up to constant weight, and weighed for determination dry matter yield. Samples were then ground and analyzed for forage nutritive value using Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIR).

Samples of known ratios of the two mixtures were created, and calibration equations are being developed into the NIR machine, which will then provide botanical composition of each sample.

Preliminary results tend to favor harvest intervals of 35 days in which DM yield is considerably high and crude protein content isn’t as low, especially with the good percentage of legume present in the stand. Further analysis of and collection of material is being made to confirm this hypothesis and evaluate the results persistence among the treatments and between distinct growing seasons.

Specific objective iii. Effect of cover cropping and biochar application on soil nitrogen transformations in agroecosystems

We initiated a project to investigate the role cover crops play in maintaining the health of TN soils. We use an existing field trial that was started in 2013 on a corn-soybean system at the University of Tennessee’s Research and Education Center (REC) in Milan, TN. This experiment includes several single and multi-species cover crop treatments, such as wheat, cereal rye, cereal rye plus hairy vetch, cereal rye plus crimson clover, and the USDA-NRCS recommended soil health mixture (combination of cereal rye, whole oats, purple top turnips, daikon radish, and crimson clover) as well as a cover crop free control. It was found that NRCS’s soil health mixture outperformed other treatments on soybean yield after 3 years of study. It was also found that soil inorganic N (potassium chloride-extractable NH₄+NO₃) varied significantly across treatments. Combination of cereal rye and hairy vetch showed statistically higher inorganic N compared to the single species cereal rye and no cover control, and the values from the other treatments were in between. Despite this increased soil inorganic N results, water extractable NO₃-N was statistically similar across cover crop treatments, implying no potential risk of N loss through leaching and runoff. Since soil inorganic N level does not accurately represent the plant available N, we determined potentially mineralizable N (PMN) based on a 7-day incubation experiment, which accounts for the N that become available throughout the growing season. Soil PMN varied significantly across the cover crop treatments. Multi-species SHM and double species cereal rye + crimson clover treatments showed the highest, and the cover crop free control showed the lowest PMN. Regardless of the treatments, PMN values were 2.3 to 2.5 times higher than the soil inorganic N, which confirms previous findings that fertilizer recommendation based on soil inorganic N levels most often leads to over fertilization of the crops.

The biochar field experiment was started recently on Fescue plots. Our goal is to understand the agronomic, soil and environmental impact of biochar application on grassland dominated systems. We have started collecting field and laboratory data, and the findings will be presented at the next annual meeting.

University of Arkansas (Ken Coffey) Specific objectives

1. Investigate effects of management strategies that alter spatiotemporal distribution of grazing and nutritive value of forage on ruminant performance and N harvest efficiency.

Project title: Soil health and plant species population dynamics of pasture systems due to grazing management and different forage complexes

Collaborators – Ken Coffey

Short-term Outcomes: A study was initiated in the summer of 2015 in southeastern Arkansas to compare the impacts of ultra-high density stocking vs. conventional rotational stocking on cattle performance, forage species composition, and soil nitrogen and carbon components. Calf gains and most measurements of calf health were not different between treatments following the second grazing season. This gives producers information to help them decide on what level of management they are willing to expend in their grazing systems without compromising animal performance or health.

Outputs: An abstract was presented at the Midwestern section of the American Society of Animal Science and a presentation was given at a field day at the University of Arkansas - Monticello.

Activities: Both cow and stocker cattle studies were initiated in the summer of 2015. In both studies, cattle grazed bermudagrass-based pastures using either conventional rotational stocking or ultra-high density stocking.

Milestones: Our intention is to continue with a variation of this study for another 3 grazing seasons.

Refereed Journal Articles

Snell, L.K., J.A. Guretzky, V.L. Jin, R.A. Drijber, and M. Mamo. 2016. Ruminant urine increases uptake but decreases relative recovery of nitrogen by smooth bromegrass. Crop, Forage and Turfgrass Management. DOI: 10.2134/cftm2016.0022. Accepted: 11/3/16; Posted: 12/2/16 on https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/cftm/first-look.

Guretzky, J.A., C. Dunn, and H. Hillhouse. 2016. Long-term Sandhills prairie responses to precipitation, temperature, and cattle stocking rate. Plant Ecol. 217:969-983. DOI: 10.1007/s11258-016-0622-9.

McFarlane, Z.D. R.P. Barbero, R.L.G. Nave, E.B. Malheiros, R.A. Reis, and J.T. Mulliniks. 2017. Effect of forage species and supplement type on rumen kinetics and serum metabolites in developing beef heifers grazing winter forage. Journal of Animal Science. (in review).

Gelley, C. H., R.L.G. Nave, and G. E. Bates. 2017. Influences of height based management on forage nutritive value of four warm-season forage grasses. Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management. (in press)

Barbero, R. P., E. B. Malheiros, R. L. G. Nave, J. T. Mulliniks, L. M. Delevatti, J. F. W. Koscheck, E. P. Romanzini, A.C. Ferrari, D.M. Renesto, T. T. Berchielli, A. C. Ruggieri, and R. A. Reis. 2017. Influence of post-weaning management system during the finishing phase on grasslands or feedlot on aiming to improvement of the beef cattle production. Agricultural Systems. 153:23-31.

Schuster MZ; Pelissari A; de Vioraes A; Harrison SK; Sulc RM; Lustosa SBC; Anghinoni I; Carvalho PCF. (2016). Grazing intensities affect weed seedling emergence and the seed bank in an integrated crop-livestock system. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 232:232-239, doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2016.08.005

Lindsey, A.J., P.R. Thomison, D.J. Barker, and J.D. Metzger. 2017. Evaluating water exclusion using plastic ground cover in maize at two population densities. Agron J. 109:1-9.

Turner, K.E., K.A. Cassida, A.M. Zajac, and M.A. Brown. 2017. Performance and gastrointestinal nematode control when meat-goat kids grazed chicory, birdsfoot trefoil, or red clover pastures. Sheep Goat Res. J. 32:1-12. Available at: http://www.sheepusa.org/ResearchEducation_ResearchJournal_Volume32

Smith, W. B., K. P. Coffey, R. T. Rhein, E. B. Kegley, D. Philipp, J. G. Powell, J. D. Caldwell, and A. N. Young. 2017. Feeding distillers’ grains, soybean hulls or a mixture of both to cows as a forage replacement: Effects on intake, digestibility, and ruminal fermentation characteristics. J. Anim. Sci. 95:3666-3675.

Smith, W. B., K. P. Coffey J. D. Tucker, D. S. Hubbell, III, E. B. Kegley, D. Philipp, J. D. Caldwell, and A. N. Young. 2017. Using soybean hulls to meet dietary energy requirements of gestating cows having restricted access to poor-quality hay. Prof. Anim. Sci. doi.org/10.15232/pas.2016-01553.

Crook, T. S., B. Stewart, M. B. Sims, C. P. Weiss, K. P. Coffey, and P. A. Beck. 2017. The effects of moisture at baling and wrapping delay on storage characteristics of annual ryegrass round bale silage. J. Anim. Sci. 95(Suppl. 1): 13.

Niyigena, V., K. P. Coffey, W. K. Coblentz, D. Philipp, A. N. Young, and R. T. Rhein. 2017. Effect of delayed wrapping and wrapping source on nitrogen balance and blood urea nitrogen in gestating sheep offered alfalfa silage. J. Anim. Sci. 95(Suppl. 4): 59.

Presentations

Guretzky, J.A., J. Volesky, M. Stephenson, J.L. Moyer, W.H. Fick, and K.R. Harmoney. 2016. Establishment of annual warm-season grasses in cool-season grass pastures. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, Phoenix, AZ. 6-9 November.

Guretzky, J.A., H. Blanco, R.W. Elmore, D.D. Redfearn, and M. Howell-Smith. 2016. Developing research and extension skills of students in integrated agronomic systems. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, Phoenix, AZ. 6-9 November.

La Vallie, M.N., J.A. Guretzky, W. Schacht, D.D. Redfearn, and B.E. Anderson. 2016. Establishment of binary perennial legume-annual warm-season grass mixtures. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, Phoenix, AZ. 6-9 Nov. 2016.

Muniz, J.O., J.A. Guretzky, D.D. Redfearn, and B.E. Anderson. 2016. Seeding rate effects on forage mass of sod-seeded sorghum sudangrass. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, Phoenix, AZ. 6-9 November.

McFarlane, Z. D., R.P. Barbero, R. L. G. Nave, and J. T. Mulliniks.  2017. Effect of forage species and supplement type on rumen kinectics and serum metabolites in developing beef heifers grazing winter forage.  ASAS – Baltimore/MD.

Wepking, N., R.L.G. Nave, Z. McFarlane, and J.T. Mulliniks. 2017. Assessing plant and soil responses to stockpiling native warm season grasses. 2017 American Forage and Grassland Council Conference – Roanoke/VA.

Chu, M., S. Jagadamma, M. Buschermohle, and F. Walker. 2017. Effects of different cover crop species on soil and water quality. 26^th Tennessee Water Resources Symposium, April 5-7, Burns, TN (oral presentation).

Jagadamma, S. 2017. Conservation Management Practices for Agroecosystem Sustainability. 26^th Tennessee Water Resources Symposium, April 5-7, Burns, TN (oral presentation).

Nave, R. L. G., and C. H. Gelley. 2016. Cutting strategy effects on forage mass accumulation of four warm-season grass species. International Annual Meetings ASA-CSSA-SSSA – Phoenix/AZ.

Kreykes, M., K. Cassida, E. van Santen, J.W. MacAdam, T. Griggs. 2016. Forage Yield, Quality, and Root Characteristics of Birdsfoot Trefoil-Tall Fescue Pastures. Annual Meeting of ASA/CSSA/SSSA, Phoenix, AZ, Nov. 6-9,2016. Online (Poster)

van Santen, E., J.W. MacAdam, and K. Cassida. 2016. Field Evaluation of the NPGS Birdsfoot Trefoil Collection. Annual Meeting of ASA/CSSA/SSSA, Phoenix, AZ, Nov. 6-9,2016. Online https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2016am/webprogram/Paper100614.html (poster)

Sulc, R.M. "Low lignin alfalfa: wide area field test results." Presented at 2016 California Alfalfa and Forage Symposium. Reno, Nevada, United States. http://alfalfa.ucdavis.edu/+symposium/2016/Program.pdf

Parker, A., Sulc, R.M., Albrecht, K., Cassida, K., Hall, M., Herrmann, J., Min, D., Orloff, S., Undersander D.. "Forage Nutritive Value of a Reduced Lignin Alfalfa Cultivar Compared With Conventional Alfalfa Cultivars" In: 2016 Joint Conference North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference, Tifolium Workers, and Grass Breeders. July 12-14, 2016 · Madison, Wisconsin. http://www.naaic.org/Meetings/National/2016meeting/Angela%20Parker%20Abstract.pdf

Sulc, R.M., Lamp, W.P., and Albrecht, K.A.. "Potato Leafhopper Threshold Revised for Alfalfa Host Resistance and Alfalfa Grass Mixtures" In: 2016 Joint Conference North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference, Tifolium Workers, and Grass Breeders. July 12-14, 2016 · Madison, Wisconsin. http://www.naaic.org/Meetings/National/2016meeting/Mark%20Sulc%20Abstract.pdf

Sulc, R.M. "Forages 301" Powerpoint presentation and notes. 2016. Presented at train-the trainer workshop and prepared for use by Extension Educators in forage workshops.

Sulc, R.M. 2016 “Update on potato leafhopper resistance in alfalfa. Industry-Extension Forage Advisory Council.

Sulc, R.M. 2016. “Insects and insect pest management in alfalfa. Crop Field Day, Champaign County, OH.

Sulc, R.M. 2016. “Producing quality hay and silage – a 90-minute crash course.” OSU Extension Forages and Grazing In-Service for county educators.

Agronomy Abstracts. J. Craft, A. Lindsey, L. Lindsey, D. Barker. (2017) Quantifying Foliar Nitrogen Effects on Soybean Relative Maturity, Grain Yield, and Grain Quality. ASA Tampa FL. Nov 2017

Other Creative Works  

Cassida, K.A. (webmaster). MSU Forage Connection. http://forage.msu.edu/ (website)

Kreykes, M. 2017. Forage quality, yield, condensed tannin concentration, soil respiration, and root morphology of birdsfoot trefoil-tall fescue mixtures. M.S. Thesis. Michigan State University, East Lansing. MI.

Kansas: Dual-Purpose Wheat: Management for Forage and Grain Production, 2017. https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF3375.pdf

Chapters

2017. Mark Sulc, David J. Barker and Kelley Tilmon. 2017. Chapter 7 Forage Production. In Ohio Agronomy Guide, 15th Edition. Bulletin 472 The Ohio State University Extension. Pp 86-113.
2018. Mark Sulc and David J. Barker. 2017. Chapter 9 Pasture and Grazing Management. In Ohio Agronomy Guide, 15th Edition. Bulletin 472 The Ohio State University Extension. Pp 118-127.

Bulletins and Extension Factsheets

McCormick, J.S., Sulc, R.M., and Barker, D.J. 2016. Ohio forage performance trials. Columbus: Ohio State University. (Dept. Horticulture & Crop Science Series 195. https://forages.osu.edu/sites/forages/files/imce/2016ForagePerf.pdf.

Ward, B.W., Sulc, R.M., Shoemaker, D., Loux, M. (2016). Alfalfa Hay Production Budget-2016. http://aede.osu.edu/research/osu-farm-management/enterprise-budgets

Ward, B.W., Sulc, R.M., Shoemaker, D., Loux, M. (2016). Corn Silage Production Budget-2016. http://aede.osu.edu/research/osu-farm-management/enterprise-budgets

Ward, B.W., Sulc, R.M., Shoemaker, D., Loux, M. (2016). Alfalfa Haylage Production Budget-2016. http://aede.osu.edu/research/osu-farm-management/enterprise-budgets

Ward, B.W., Sulc, R.M., Shoemaker, D., Loux, M. (2016). Grass Hay Production Budget-2016. m http://aede.osu.edu/research/osu-farm-management/enterprise-budgets

Sulc, R.M. (2016). Short season forages to fill supply gaps for dairy farms. http://dairy.osu.edu/DIBS/dibs.html

Undersander, D., Renz, M., Sheaffer, C., Shewmaker, G., Sulc, M. (2015). Alfalfa management guide. American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Crop Science Society of America, Inc., Soil Science Society of America, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Popular Articles

Sulc, R.M., and Lewandowski, R. "Is the no cutting fall rest period for alfalfa really necessary?" Ohio State University Extension. C.O.R.N. Newsletter Vol. 2016-29 & Ohio's Country Journal Oct 2016. http://corn.osu.edu/.

Lewandowski, R., and Sulc, R.M. "Late summer seeding of perennial forages" Ohio State University Extension. C.O.R.N. Newsletter Vol. 2016-22.2016. http://corn.osu.edu/.

Tillman, K., Michel, A., Sulc, M., "Potato Leafhopper in Alfalfa" Ohio State University Extension. C.O.R.N. Newsletter Vol. 2016-18.2016. http://corn.osu.edu.

Sulc, R.M. 2016. "Fungicide use on alfalfa" Ohio State University Extension. C.O.R.N. Newsletter Vol. 2016-12. http://corn.osu.edu.

Sulc, R.M. 2016. "Make hay when the sun shines...what sun?" Ohio State University Extension. C.O.R.N. Newsletter Vol. 2016-12. http://corn.osu.edu.

Sulc, R.M. 2016. "Management for red clover seed production" Ohio State University Extension. C.O.R.N. Newsletter Vol. 2016-12. http://corn.osu.edu.

Sulc, R.M. 2016. "Double cropping for supplemental forage production" eXtension and Ohio State University Extension. DAIReXNET Feature Article Series. Website article. http://www.extension.org/pages/71253/dairexnet-feature-article-series#.Vg7BEiti7K1.