Using the University of Missouri Grazing Wedge tool to identify patterns in forage management and yield variability in pasture-based farming systems
2015
Loading...
View/Download File
Persistent link to this item
Statistics
View StatisticsJournal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Title
Using the University of Missouri Grazing Wedge tool to identify patterns in forage management and yield variability in pasture-based farming systems
Authors
Published Date
2015
Publisher
Type
Thesis or Dissertation
Abstract
As we look for agricultural solutions that simultaneously address the growing demand for food and the growing need for sustainability, the potential of grassland agriculture to address both problems should not be overlooked. Grass- and pasture-lands occupy three times the amount of land as row-crop agriculture, while offering significant ecological and economic benefits. Decreasing the forage yield variability of these systems through management techniques has the potential to increase their profitability and popularity. This study looked at how forage information from five farms stored in the University of Missouri Grazing Wedge tool could be used to characterize yield variability in pasture-based farming systems and the types of management practices that might influence that variability. We found that forage yield varied between 6.4 and 33% over the measurement period, and that the variability of total farm yield was largely independent of factors such as forage measurement frequency, interval, and paddock number. Intrapaddock variability, however, is highly correlated with the overall number of paddocks (R-square = 0.83) and offers insight for potential methods for improved management. Going forward, it will be important for these techniques to be incorporated into tools like the Grazing Wedge, and continued investment into these systems will have significant returns.
Description
Related to
Replaces
License
Collections
Series/Report Number
Funding information
Isbn identifier
Doi identifier
Previously Published Citation
Suggested citation
Johnson, Brittney. (2015). Using the University of Missouri Grazing Wedge tool to identify patterns in forage management and yield variability in pasture-based farming systems. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/174006.
Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.