Agro 310, Pasture Management and Forages Production

Dr. Adam Khan (Dr. Khan)

Office: 208 Charlton Hall

Telephone: 684-6106

e-mail: khana@morrisville.edu

Credit Hours: 3 (2 hours lecture and 2 hours lab)

Semester: Fall 2009

Time: Lecture: Wednesday 6-6:50 P. M and 7 - 7:50 P.M. .

Lab: Thursday 3-5 P.M. Dairy, Ag. Sci., and Ag. Bus.

Labs: Tuesday 3 - 5 P.M., 5 - 7 P.M. and Thursday 6 -8 P.M. Equine Science

Course Description:

Pasture management and forages production practices, including grazing management, types of pastures, grasses and legumes. 3 credit hours (2 hours lab and 2 hours lecture). Prerequisite Agro 110.

Course Objectives:

To acquaint students with principles of pasture management and forage productions, types of grasses & legumes found in pastures and their value.

Attendance Policy:

Attendance of all lecture sessions is imperative. To discourage class absentia, the following penalties will be strictly followed.

"All handouts distributed in a particular lecture session will not be given to those who miss that session without prior permission."

Course Outline:

Section I. Forage grasses and legumes

1. Grassland agriculture and ecosystem concept
2. The botany of grasses and legumes
3. Grasses:
- a. Blue grasses
- b. Timothy
- c. Rye grasses
- d. Fescues
- e. Orchard grass
- f. Brome grass
- g. Other grasses
4. Legumes
- a. Alfalfa
- b. Ladino clover
- c. Birdsfoot trefoil
- d. Red Clover
- e. White Clover
- f. Lespedezas
- g. Other legumes
5. Forages and soil conservation

Section II. Pasture management

1. Pasture purpose
2. Site selection
3. Planting consideration
4. Fertility requirements
5. Fertility for small pastures
6. Planting and species selection
7. Renovation
8. Selection of mixtures and making a forage mixture
9. Winter dormancy
10. Plant stresses (low temperature, drought, and high salt concentration)
11. Seeding and harvesting equipment
12. Maximizing yield
13. Weed control
- a. characteristics of weeds
- b. Poisonous weeds
- c. Weed control methods
  - i. Direct destruction
  - ii. Ecological control
  - iii. Biological control
  - iv. Chemical control
    - 1. Selective herbicides
    - 2. non selective herbicides
14. Grazing management

Section III. Grazing management and pasture productivity

1. Pasture growth dynamics
- a. Pasture growth rate
- b. Seasonal pattern of pasture productivity
- c. Pasture quality
- d. Impact of time on pasture yield and quality
2. Grazing management
- a. Frequency of grazing
- b. Intensity and timing of grazing
- c. Duration of grazing
3. Stocking method
- a. Rotational stocking method
  - i. Use and management
  - ii. Planning
  - iii. Implementation
- b. Continuous stocking method
  - i. Use and management
  - ii. Planning
  - iii. Implementing the plan
4. Fencing and water for animals

Section IV. Types of pasture

1. Permanent pastures

a. Improved legumes and grasses
b. Potential for improvement
- i. Renovation
- ii. Seed bed preparation with reseeding
- iii. Sod seeding or overseeding
- iv. Fertilizing and liming
c. Grazing management
- i. Rotational vs Continuous grazing
- ii. Seasonal grazing
- iii. Effect of mixed grazing
- iv. Weeds

2. Cropland pastures

a. Contribution
- i. Meeting animals needs
- ii. Land use factors
b. Types
- i. Legume-grass mixture
- ii. All-grass swards
- iii. All-legume swards
c. Production and utilization
- i. Benefits to other crops
- ii. Overview of grazing management

3. Irrigated pastures

Section V. Forage production, evaluation, and utilization

1. Establishment of new seedings
2. Weed control
3. Soil Fertility
4. Composition, fiber quality, and nutritive value of forages
5. Forage analysis and its application
6. Hay quality
7. Dehydration and processing
8. Forage planting and harvesting equipment

Section VI. Economics of Pastures and forages

a. Economic importance of pastures and forages.
b. Pasture as an economical source of livestock feed
- 1. Selecting pasture plant species
- 2. Improving pasture to produce large amounts of feed
  - i. Use of pasture for cheapest feed
  - ii. Extend the grazing season
- 3. Saving labor by use of livestock
c. Forage production economics
- 1. Fundamental principles/practical procedures
- 2. Budget example
- 3. Production system analysis
- 4. The market for forage
- 5. Comparison of milk yield from cows fed under low input pasture
  system vs conventional forage system.
- 6. Key to profit potential
- 7. Maximum economic yield of milk produced under conventional forage
  system and low input forage system.
- 8. Measuring yield by animal performance

Text book:

Additional readings:

1. Agway horse pasture management brochure
2. Emmick, D.L. and D.G. Fox. 1993. Prescribed grazing management to improve pasture
productivity in New York. USDA Soil Conservation Service and Cornell Univ. Dept.

of Animal Science. Ithaca, NY.
3. Health, M.E.; R.E. Barnes; and D.S. Metcalfe. 1985. Forages - The Science of Grassland
Agriculture. ISU press, IA, USA.
4. Sprague, H.B. (ed.). 1974. Grassland of the United States - A symposium of the American
Forage and Grassland Council. The ISU Press, Ames, IA
5. ASA, ADSA, ASAP, and ASRM. 1962. Pasture and Range Research Techniques.
Comstock Publishing Associates - division of Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca, NY.
6. Graffis, D. W.; E.M. Juergenson; and M.H. McVicker. 1985. Approved practices in
pasture management, 4^th edition. The Interstate Printers and Publishers Inc. Danville, IL.
7. 2005 Cornell Guide for Integrated field crop management.

8. Walter, Peter D. 1983. Production and management of cultivated forages. Reston, Virginia - a Prentice Hall Company.

Lab exercises:

1. Soil samples collection from the pasture fields.
2. Nutrient analysis of samples collected from pasture fields.
3. Fertilizer recommendation.
4. Fertilizer application on pasture fields.
5. Weed control, herbicide application, and sprayer calibration.
6. Weed identification and identification of various grasses land legumes.
7. Rotational grazing experiment.
8. Chemical analysis of pasture herbage.
9. Economic evaluation
10. Research projects.
11. Field trips.
12. Record keeping on computer.
13. Heifer/cows field trials under pasture system and conventional forage system.
14. CAFO project:
CAFO definition, laws and regulations, Comprehensive nutrient management, soil management, nutrient management, emergency plan, soil type maps, soil topo maps, soil conservation maps, notice of intent and CAFO certification.

Terminal Objectives

Upon completion of this course, a student should be able to do the following tasks in pasture fields and hay crops (grasses and legumes) :

Collection and analyze soil samples and make fertilizer recommendations.

Identify weeds and make herbicide recommendations.

Manage grazing through rotational and continuous stocking methods.

Plant grasses and legumes, harvest and process hay and haylage.

Economic analysis of pastures and hay.

Pursue applied research.

Grading Policy

The grade distribution will be as follows

Item Grade

Hour exam(s)	=300
Final	=300
Lab Reports	=100
Research Project	=100
Pop Quizes	=100
Subjective	=100

If the class requests a make up exam for the whole class, it will be scheduled.

CLASS REGULATIONS

Attendance of all lab and lecture sessions is imperative. To discourage class absentia, the following penalties will be strictly followed:

All handouts distributed in a particular lab or lecture session will not be given to those who miss that session except those who inform the instructor before hand either verbally, or written, or on the telephone.

Participation in class discussion is very important. Asking questions in class will improve your impression and subsequent grade.

Lab reports and take-home exams will not be accepted after due date.

All the exams (hour exams, pop quizzes, take-home exams) will be graded within a week. Record your grades in the grade record page. Don't lose your grade record, it will help you in case of error in final calculation of the grade. If you did not get your grades within in one week, ask me.

If you are not satisfied with the grade, contact me within a week after you received the grades. However, after one week, no change in grades will be accepted.

If you believe at the end of the semester, that there is an error in the final grading, bring all your data on pop quizzes, hour exams, make-up, take home exams, lab reports, etc. to my office for reconsideration.

A grade represents the teacher's opinion on how much you learnt in the course. Your grades in exams, lab reports, pop quizzes, your interest in the course, your behavior in the class, your attendance etc. are the data I will use to make the judgment.

GRADE CLASSIFICATION

Points	Letter grade
950-1000	A
900-949	A-
860-899	B+
830-859	B
800-829	B-
760-799	C+
730-759	C
700-729	C-
650-699	D+
600-649	D
Less than 600	F

To see the agenda of Agronomy Club's end of semester meeting, please click on "Agronomy Club's End of Semester Meeting" on webct (after you are notified that it is posted on webct).