Interseeding legumes into cool-season grass pastures
Legumes require higher levels of pH and soil fertility than most grasses. Sweetclover is seldom used here because its is less desirable than other legumes in grass-legume combinations. Seeding methods vary, but two things are necessary--good seed/soil contact and the correct inoculant for the legume to be seeded (without it, you won't get nodulation). [Read More]
USDA encourages producers to apply for Grasslands Reserve Program
Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Francie Tolle and Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Ron Hilliard, encourage producers to apply for the 2012 Grasslands Reserve Program. All GRP applications received at the local Farm Service Agency or Natural Resources Conservation Service office by Feb. 3 will be considered for the $1.25 million allocation received for the 2012 GRP. The Grassland Reserve Program is a voluntary program offering landowners the ... [Read More]
Cleaning up soils and waterways with prickly pear
Soil scientist Gary Bañuelos with USDA's Agricultural Research Service thinks he has found a promising way to rid the soil of selenium: planting prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica). Based on those observations, he then spent three years evaluating five prickly pear varieties from Mexico, Brazil, and Chile for salt and boron tolerance in selenium-laden soils by collecting soils and sediments from the area and growing the varieties in field test plots. But the results, ... [Read More]
Seeding strategies help rangelands recover from fire
Agricultural Research Service researchers in Burns, Ore., have identified factors that limit the success of rangeland restoration projects. Then they seeded study plots either with a rangeland drill--a common practice in reseeding postfire sites--or placed seed in the soil by hand so that burial depth could be tightly controlled. The best seed establishment occurred in hand-seeded plots with around 14 plants per square meter. [Read More]
Switchgrass, bioenergy research recognized
As the leader of OSU's Biobased Products and Energy Center's switchgrass breeding program, Wu and his team primarily focus on switchgrass molecular research and have received approximately $3.5 million for switchgrass research. Research conducted by Wu's team with OSU's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources has received much national attention, as he is currently working under a grant funded by Oklahoma's National Science Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate ... [Read More]
Pasture Management program to focus on summer weed control
A Feb. 24 half-day training at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton will offer pasture management information that producers are unlikely to find anywhere else, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service forage specialist. "We'll have information on identifying weeds specific to East Texas and the most economical way to control them," said Vanessa Corriher, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension forage specialist, Overton. Participants will also receive educational materials, ... [Read More]
Landowners can earn extra cash from hunting
Landowners in southeastern Colorado who open their property to hunters can earn extra cash by enrolling in Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Big Game Access Program for the 2012 hunting seasons. "The Wildlife Commission has funded the program again for 2012 to pay landowners who allow big game hunting access to their property," said Lamar Area Wildlife Manager Travis Black. The BGAP access stamp allows access to hunt to pronghorn and deer only. [Read More]
Seminars will cover Managing Rangelands in a Changing Environment
"Ranchers and rangeland managers are facing numerous challenges as they look to remain profitable and manage their grasslands," said Bill Sproul, Sedan-area rancher and chairman of the Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition. Managing Rangelands in a Changing Environment will feature Joel Brown, Ph.D., rangeland ecologist, Sproul said. His current activities include research and development of land classification systems, carbon sequestration on rangelands, effects of climate change on rangeland ... [Read More]
Wyoming family secures ranching tradition with conservation easement
"The conservation of private ranch and farm lands through voluntary conservation easements held by local, private land trusts is the most effective and efficient use of limited public dollars for habitat conservation," said Pamela Dewell, executive director of the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust. The Conservation Fund acquired easements on both properties with funding from the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, a federal program managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural ... [Read More]
Russell County Prescribed Burn School is Feb. 29
Those who plan to conduct a prescribed burn in Russell County need to have a burn permit and one of the requirements is to have attended an Extension Prescribed Burn School. Keith Harmoney, K-State Range Scientist, and Toni Flax, Natural Resources Conservation Service Range Conservation, will use a sandbox to to demonstrate planning for a burn. Call the Russell County Extension Office at 785-483-3157 or email driscoll@ksu.edu to register by Feb. 24. [Read More]
Landowners can improve hunting lease value
"Some landowners offer U-Pick programs for fruits and vegetables while others see the economic benefits of improving wildlife resources and considering a hunting lease," said Heath Herje, Oklahoma State University Extension educator. While many landowners lease their land for hunting, most do not realize a few simple rules may improve their wildlife resources and make their land more valuable from a leasing perspective. For instance, if landowners enter into a deer hunting lease, the rules ... [Read More]
Ranch Management University set for April 9 to 13
The Texas AgriLife Extension Service's Ranch Management University is scheduled April 9 to 13 at the G. Rollie White Visitor's Center on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station. "This unique landowner workshop is designed to help new landowners improve their understanding regarding management of the various resources they find on their ranch properties," said Larry Redmon, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension state forage specialist. Additionally, wildlife management topics such as white-... [Read More]
