Forage Species and Varieties Adaptation and Selection

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Oregon Forages and Beyond CSS Seminar 26
September 2005
David B. Hannaway Forages Program
Director Research, Teaching, Extension, and
International Projects Crop Soil Science
Department Oregon State University
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Background

• Childhood and Interests/Activities
• Parents from Norristown, PA
• (Irish, Swiss-German decent Hannaway Ice Cream,
  Byron K. Hunsberger tutored Latin, Greek,
  Hebrew)
• Born in Philadelphia, grew up in rural NJ (father
  was a minister, mother was a teacher, neighbors
  grew flowers, corn, and raised sheep)
• High School football, baseball piano early
  interest in organic agriculture, horticulture
  landscaping

• Education
• B.S., Plant Science, University of Delaware, 1973
• M.S., Plant Soil Science, University of
  Tennessee, 1975
• Ph.D., Plant Physiology, University of Kentucky,
  1979

• Family
• Youngest of 3, brother Gordon and sister Beth
• 1975 Married to Kimberly Eileen Jones (4
  brothers and 4 sisters)
• 1989 Kayleen and Kourtney born (skipped
  IGC that year)

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Professional Career OSU and the world

• 1979-1983 Extension Forage Specialist
• (Extension Research 75/25)
• 1983-1985 Extension Forage Specialist
• (Extension, Research Teaching 50/26/24)
• 1985-1992 Associate Professor, Forage Crops
• (Research Teaching 74/26)
• 1992-1995 Associate Professor, Forage Crops
• (Extension, Research Teaching 39/35/26)
• 1995-2005 Professor, Forage Crops
• (Extension, Research, Teaching 35/51/14)

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Professional Focus Areas

• Research
• Mineral nutrition (hypomagnesemia soil, plant,
  animal inter-relationships 28Mg, 86Rb, organic
  acids, K rate and date)
• Biological Nitrogen Fixation (alfalfa N nutrition
  and Tunisia systems)
• Agro-ecozones and optimal species selection
  (GIS-based mapping for the USA and PRC)

• Extension
• Fact sheets and circulars
• Grass growth regrowth understanding for
  improved management
• Web-based information system development (FIS)

• Teaching
• National Forage Grasslands Curriculum
  development
• Web-based and other media support for teaching
  and learning

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Introduction To Forages
Forages are grasses, legumes, forbs, shrubs, and
crop residues used for livestock and wildlife feed
Forages are grown on croplands, pasturelands,
hill-lands, forestlands, and rangelands
Forages are unique because they are consumed by
ruminant animals and other livestock and
wildlife able to digest cellulose (ruminal
microorganisms synthesize the beta 1-4 cellulase
enzyme complex, allowing hydrolysis of plant cell
walls)
Four divisions of the ruminant stomach rumen,
reticulum, omasum, and abomasum.
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Forages the Rodney Dangerfield of Agriculture
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Sadly, despite their enormous importance, forages
get no respect. Cash crops, with strong
political support dominate the public funding
arena and forages are without a political voice

• Thus, the CSS forages program development
  strategy has been to find ways to contribute in a
  meaningful way without a significant budget
  encouraging global collaboration, using
  computer-based tools, and reducing the
  duplication of effort nationwide.

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Outline

• This presentation will describe
• the importance of forages,
• a bit of program philosophy,
• some current activities, and
• future ideas and recommendations.

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Importance of forages to Oregon

• Forages are consistently first in field crops
  value second only to Nursery Greenhouse
  products.
• In Oregon, forage value exceeds 500 million per
  year for hay, silage, and pasture
• (greater than cattle and calves, grass seed,
  wheat, or potatoes).

Alfalfa is Oregons 1 hay crop.
Reference for value by commodity (2003
data) http//oregon.gov/ODA/docs/pdf/pubs/ff.pdf
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Key Oregon Forages
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Commodity Values ( Millions)
See following chart for forage value components.
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Forage value components (Millions)
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Forages contribution to livestock values
75
Cattle calves Oregons 1 livestock commodity.
50
80
90
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Commodity Values ( Millions)
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Green Benefits

• Forages provide substantial environmental
  benefits
• Wildlife feed and habitat
• Filtering and purifying water
• Creating oxygen and filtering impurities from the
  air
• Reducing soil erosion and recycling nutrients
• Beautifying the landscape

Additional information http//www.forages.oregons
tate.edu/posters/foragefundy.jpg
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Oregon Forages - Summary
Heres a summary of what weve covered to this
point .
http//www.forages.oregonstate.edu/posters/foragef
undy.jpg
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Relevance to OSUs Mission and Emphasis Areas

• Mission OSU is Oregons principal source of
  knowledge relating to agricultural and food
  systems and a major source of knowledge for
  environmental quality, natural resources, and
  life sciences
• Emphasis Integrated management systems that help
  assure economically sustainable, environmentally
  sound agriculture.
• Forages are a key part of Oregons agricultural
  and natural resource systems.

http//agsci.oregonstate.edu/about/CAS-mission.ht
ml
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Personnel Involved
On-Campus Departments Agricultural Resource
Economics Animal Sciences Bioengineering Botany
Plant Pathology Crop Soil Science Fisheries
Wildlife Rangeland Ecology Management Off-Camp
us Units County Extension Offices Branch
Experiment Stations and Centers
Small portions of FTE from related departments
collaborating with other projects to make it
work. ?
http//agsci.oregonstate.edu/depts.html http//ext
ension.oregonstate.edu/
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Project Support and Rationale for Choices

• What could/should be done with limited support?
  How to determine?
• Historical OSU planning documents
• Research extension workers
• Farmers ranchers
• Oregon Hay Growers Association
• CAST report
• Winrock reports

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Project Support and Rationale for Choices

• Initial projects
• Applied agronomic trials (alfalfa variety trials)
• Hay quality testing
• (Klamath Falls, Ag. Chemistry Department)
• Alfalfa N2 fixation
• (USDA Limiting Factors Grant, Tunisia)
• Extension fact sheets for forage species
• (answered routine questions for years)

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Project Support and Rationale for Choices

• Loss of technician
• Need to extrapolate across the landscape
• Desire to increase collaboration
• Led to program re-evaluation using Grassland
  Range National Goals as a guide. Areas chosen
  were
• Electronic technologies for improved
  communication, organization and dissemination of
  information
• GIS/spatial data for modeling and mapping

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Current Projects

• Teaching
• Research
• Extension Outreach
• International Projects

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Teaching

• University Classroom
• OSU Corvallis
• CSS 310

• Distance Education
• National Forage Grasslands Curriculum
• Grant supported project
• OUS E-campus
• CSS 310
• Additional forage-related activities
• GIS Integration with Forages
• Pastoral Themes Class Developed

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Research

• Field-based
• Branch Experiment Stations

• Computer-based
• Information systems
• Decisions Support Systems
• Expert Systems
• GIS mapping

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International Projects

• Oregon Seed Council
• USDA MAP, EMP, RSEP
• Field-based
• Computer-based
• Workshops and seminars

• OSU International Programs and USTDA
• Peoples Republic of China
• Africa, SE Asia
• Republic of Georgia

• Global cooperation
• Collaborators worldwide for teaching, research,
  and outreach projects

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Optimal Forage Species Selection

• State-of-the-Science Computer Tools
• Addressing practical agricultural questions
• Fundable and important problems

Problem solving using new techniques GIS
Spatial Data Layers
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Forage Species Tolerances

• Drought, heat, cold
• pH, drainage, salinity
• Insects, diseases, nematodes
• Fertilization, defoliation severity intensity

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Climate Spatial Data Layers

• Process developed over 13 years
• USA mapping for NRCS using 8600 climate stations
• PRISM software uses point data, DEM, and expert
  knowledge to create gridded estimates of climate
  elements
• Applied to China with OSC

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USA Climate Data Stations
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USA Annual Precipitation
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USA Mean Minimum Temperature
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USA Mean Maximum Temperature
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PRC Species Evaluation Project(USDA FAS MAP /
Oregon Seed Council)
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Project Support and Rationale for Choices
USDA FAS EMP Grant of lt700K to support OSC
species suitability/marketing objectives
722,425/2
National average 320,000 total support
225-495K range
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PRC Data Acquisition
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PRC Digital Elevation Model
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PRC Mean Annual Precipitation
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PRC January Mean Minimum Temp.
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PRC July Mean Maximum Temp.
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Climatic Quantitative Tolerances
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PRC Tall Fescue Suitability Mapping
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Similar Work for Oregon?

• Oregon has a diversity of climates, soils, and
  many farming, ranching, and forestry systems
• Climate, soils, species suitability, economics,
  sociological factors could/should be mapped
• Some components available
• Need funding for development and integration

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Extension Outreach

• Oregon outreach
• County Extension Offices / Programs

• Regional outreach
• PNW Forage Workers Group
• Western Alfalfa Conference

• Global outreach
• Forage Information System

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Extension Outreach

• Forage Information System
• Re-design of the FIS
• Tall Fescue On-line Monograph
• Alfalfa Information System
• Orchardgrass Information System
• Tall Fescue Information System
• Oregon Forage Information System
• Comprehensive, peer-reviewed, global information
  resource for forages

• Traditional approaches
• Numbered / printed and web-based pubs.
• County-based educational programs
• Routine response to information requests

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Future Plans

• Northwest Forage and Livestock Systems Research
  Education Center
• 1980 Deans White Paper Recommendation
• Multiple disciplines, integrated approach
• GIS Applications Center Idea
• Agriculture Natural Resource Management

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Future Plans Specific Projects

• Pasture Land Management System (integration with
  NRCS ToolBox)
• Alfalfa Modeling of types, cultivars, production,
  and economics (North America and PRC)
• Orchardgrass Vendors Application
• Announcement of FIS re-design

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Future Plans Specific Projects

• Pasture Land Management System (integration with
  NRCS ToolBox)

Combining aerial photos, soil maps, pasture and
animal production information.
http//maps.google.com
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Future Plans Specific Projects

• Alfalfa Modeling of types, cultivars, production,
  and economics (NA and PRC)

Combining crop simulation modeling techniques
with spatial suitability, production, and
economic mapping.
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Future Plans Specific Projects

• Orchardgrass Vendors Application

Using FIS database structure and combining it
with mapping technologies to help market
Oregon-grown seed.
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Future Plans Specific Projects

• Announcement of FIS re-design

Superstructure is created, content revision and
addition needed prior to announcement.
http//forages.oregonstate.edu/new/index.cfm?
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Summary

• Provided an overview of
• The importance of forages to Oregonians
• Philosophy and guiding principles
• Current programs and activities
• Future plans

http//forages.oregonstate.edu/new/index.cfm?
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Key Activities and Recent Publications

• Forage Information System (http//forages.oregonst
  ate.edu/) and dozens of subsections
  (1993-present)
• Re-design (2005) http//forages.oregonstate.edu/ne
  w/index.cfm?
• China related Activities
• Visiting scholars GAO and HU (1982), first trip
  to China (1984)
• Forage Resources of China book (1982-1992)
  Pudoc
• Oregon Seed Councils USDA FAS MAP Project
  (1993-2003)
• USDA FAS EMP Grant (2001-2005)
• Visualizing Chinas Future Agriculture (2005,
  China Map Atlas)
• Forage Suitability Mapping for China Using
  Topographic, Climatic, and Soils Spatial Data and
  Quantitative Plant Tolerances (2005,
  Agricultural Sciences in China Journal)
• Invited Publications and Presentations
• International Grasslands Congress (2005, Dublin)
  Computer-based Forage Management Tools
  Historical, Current, and Future Applications
• FAO Book Chapter (2005) GIS-Based Forage Species
  Adaptation Mapping
• 4th International Symposium on the Tibetan
  Plateau (2004, Lhasa)
• 2nd World Congress of Computers in Agriculture
  (2004, Bangkok)
• Victoria / New South Wales Grasslands Conference
  (2003, Albury)