No-till treatments used to rejuvenate pasture

A wide range of treatments will be applied to three different types of pastures in east-central Alberta over the next four years to determine the best techniques for rejuvenating established grass stands without farming the fields.

The demonstrations being co-ordinated through the Chinook Applied Research Association (CARA) in Oyen will be applied on blocks of native short grass prairie, domestic crested wheatgrass pasture and alfalfa hay or pasture.

The goal is to demonstrate management and treatments that can improve forage and beef productivity, which ultimately contribute to environmental benefits, says Christy Tumback, a forage and livestock agrologist with CARA.

"The intent is to demonstrate practical treatments producers can use not only to improve forage production but increase the longevity of these stands," she says. "More productive pastures not only benefits livestock production, but also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

The demonstration projects, co-ordinated through CARA with assistance from the Special Areas Service Boards and producer co-operators, are partially funded by the beef section of the federal Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Program for Canadian Agriculture (GHGMP).

GHGMP funding, administered by the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, is being applied across the country to demonstrate a wide range of improved production practices that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions or increase carbon sequestration.

Maintaining, healthy, productive native and tame pasture, for example, helps store or sequester more carbon in the soil. Plants capture carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere and store it as carbon in plant tissue and in the soil. Tillage, which has long-been a key part of re-establishing forage stands, releases much of that stored carbon back into the atmosphere. As well the pasture being re-established is often out of production for one to two years during the process.

CARA demonstrations will use different treatments and management practices to improve productivity and longevity of both native range and domestic pastures. A more detailed project update on the demonstration can be found at "Stewardship" under the Greenhouse Gas Mitigation section of the CCA Web site at www.cattle.ca.

Creating paddocks to be managed under rotational grazing is the focus of the demonstration improving productivity of native short grass prairie. The idea is to avoid season-long grazing or simple two-pasture systems, which may not provide grasses with sufficient time to rest and regrow and put down root reserves during the growing season.

The standard practice of cultivating and re-seeding crested wheat pastures is expensive and adversely impacts the environment. Other options being demonstrated include applying fertilizer, herbicides and aeration to establish stands to boost forage production. As well one plot will feature no-till re-seeding.

On the alfalfa hay and pasture site rejuvenation treatments include stimulating the natural nitrogen-fixing ability of the legume, added fertilizer, and soil aeration.

"The goal with all these treatments is to improve forage productivity and increase the longevity of the stands," says Tumback. "Maintaining perennial forage cover is important to sequestering carbon in the soil and also minimizing the risk of soil erosion. Also if we can improve forage quality through management, the amount of methane gas produced by cattle will be reduced per pound of forage eaten."

The GHGMP supports a broad range of projects across Canada with the goal to promote awareness of agricultural practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or increase carbon sequestration. The Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) administers the delivery of the beef sector component of the program. For more information on this project and other beef sector activities, visit the CCA's Web site: www.cattle.ca.

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