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Karlie Gerlach | WCREEC Communications Specialist
Summer forage options are often limited for ranchers in north-central Nebraska and the Sandhills due to weed pressure and soil constraints. To identify summer forage options suited to local conditions, a collaborative on-farm research project supported by a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Projects grant evaluated warm-season forage species to improve summer forage production, quality and soil health.
Nicolas Cafaro La Menza with the Cropping Systems Lab at the West Central Research, Extension and Education Center worked with ranchers and local agronomists to establish on-farm irrigated research strips featuring warm-season grasses, legumes and multispecies mixes across the Sandhills. The lab measured forage production and quality, nutrient needs and soil health throughout the project.
The project also hosted plot tours, one-on-one consultations and meetings that allowed producers to observe forage performance in season and learn about trial results, summer forage strategies and nutrient management.
The research found that no single forage option performed equally well across all sites. Soil type, ranch operations and intended forage use influenced forage performance and variety choice. Nutrient management also emerged as an important factor, particularly with the widespread potassium deficiency. Researchers also identified that low soil pH affected micronutrient availability and forage productivity.
The findings led to changes in nutrient management strategies, adjustments to summer forage mixes and the expansion of summer forage to more than 600 acres by one producer. The project also helped form the North Central Nebraska Forage Production Group, an ongoing peer-to-peer network for sharing forage and nutrient management strategies.
The collaboration improved summer forage production and quality and raised new questions about optimal economic potassium rates and herbicide options for pearl millet as a summer forage option. Research and demonstrations will continue with the support of the Mid Nebraska Community Foundation.