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Overview of Research and Development at Central Grasslands Research Extension Center in 2005

By Paul E. Nyren, Director

Welcome to the Central Grasslands Research Extension Center (CGREC) 2005 Grass-n-Beef Research Review. As you look through the pages of this publication you will see articles of an applied nature that discuss research to assist producers in understanding the tools and techniques to improve their range and livestock management. You will also find articles of a more scientific nature that describe basic research studies. At the beginning of most of the reports you will find a summary of the article. We have attempted to take the information in the article and present it in a form that will be easy for any reader to understand. Also included in this publication are popular articles about the prairie. We hope that this report is of benefit to you and provides information that you can use in your operation. We provide this report not only to producers in the Coteau region of North Dakota but to as many citizens of this region as possible. In addition, it is mailed to many researchers throughout North America and to several foreign countries. All North Dakota taxpayers are stakeholders in NDSU and the CGREC and while most of the work we do is directed at production agriculture, we are also working to enhance economic development in the area.

2005 Weather Data

The weather for the 2005 crop year was somewhat unusual even for the Northern Great Plains. We summarize the weather data at the Center from October 1 until September 30 because the fall moisture is important to the following spring’s production. During the 2004-2005 crop year there were only three months with above average precipitation: January, May and June. The total yearly precipitation was 15.10 inches, which was 2.79 inches below normal. As you will see in the subsequent reports, both forage and crop production was very good. This is a result of the timing of the precipitation. May was 0.82 inches above normal and June was 1.96 inches above normal. This is an increase of 33% and 56% respectively for two of the most important months for crop production.

Temperatures for the year were quite a bit above normal, especially during the winter. October through April were all above normal, with November, March and April being more than 10 degrees above normal. The months of May through September were much closer to normal temperature, with May and August being slightly below normal. The frost-free period, which is normally 131 days, was 13 days longer at 144 days.

Research Programs

There are many different types of research conducted here at the CGREC. Some studies are designed to answer questions about livestock and range management and new techniques for better or different management. These studies are usually conducted for two or three years and the results can be quickly transferred to a producer’s operation. Other research is designed to evaluate the effect of management on the plant communities, and these studies may take many years to assimilate enough data to make management recommendations to producers. Other studies are investigating the impact of different livestock management systems on plant physiological processes. These studies are designed to provide information to develop a model that will predict the response of the complex plant communities of the mixed grass prairie to various changes in management and the environment. While these studies are very technical in nature, their outcomes frequently provide valuable information in the short term in addition to the data needed for the development of the model. An example of this is the study that is measuring the photosynthetic rate of several prairie plant species and the assimilation of carbon under various grazing intensities. Understanding carbon storage is becoming important as policy makers struggle with the abundance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and its possible impact on global temperature changes. Some have suggested a tax on carbon-emitting industries and a carbon storage payment for producers as one way to offset this problem. Studies at the CGREC have shown that various management systems have a significant impact on carbon storage. The most interesting is that under no grazing there is no net gain and in some instances a net loss of carbon. This would indicate that the elimination of livestock grazing would slow the rate of carbon storage in mixed grass prairies.

Visiting Scholars Exchange Program

In this publication you will read reports from students who have come to the CGREC from China to study the grasslands and agricultural practices of North Dakota. In 2004 the CGREC signed an agreement with the Chinese Academy of Science, Institute of Botany, for a scholar exchange program. This program brings faculty and students from China to the Center to conduct studies on the grasslands as part of the students’ requirements for completion of an M.S. degree at the Institute of Botany.

Development of a Whole Ranch Management System and Range Monitoring Program

This year you will find reports on the grants that were awarded to the CGREC by the ND Natural Resources Trust and the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education funds (2005 Annual Report). These grants, awarded in 2004, have allowed the CGREC to hire a Range and Natural Resources Specialist. Her name is Amanda Hancock and she comes to the Center from the University of Idaho where she recently completed her M.S. degree in Range Management. Amanda grew up in Central Oregon and received her B.S. degree from Oregon State University in Animal Science. She has conducted workshops and visited with producers one-on-one about rangeland monitoring and rangeland health. If you are interested in having Amanda develop a range monitoring evaluation of your ranch, please call the Center at 701-424-3606. With the change to the Conservation Security Program at the federal level it is important that ranchers have a management plan and that they document their management in a way that will meet the requirements of the program.

Expansion of Office Facilities

The 2005 legislature approved an addition to the office building at the Center. This structure will give the Center additional office space as well as a larger conference room. The original plans for this structure called for 3000 square feet of space with 1500 square feet on each of two floors. The legislature approved the expenditure of $350,000 for this structure with $270,000 coming from the sale of bonds and $80,000 being raised locally. The Center began a capital campaign to raise the $80,000 necessary for the building addition with a target date for starting construction in the summer of 2006. If you wish to make a contribution to the capital campaign, contact the co-chairs of our campaign committee, Mr. Bill Well of Medina or Mr. Dan Buchanan of Jamestown, or contact the CGREC directly.

We hope you find this report useful and enlightening. If you have questions or comments please feel free to contact us at anytime. Our phone at the office is 701-424-3606, our fax is 701-424-3616, and my e-mail is p.nyren@ndsu.edu.