Outline Background and introduction Grassland agriculture - - PDF document

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Outline Background and introduction Grassland agriculture - - PDF document

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3/17/2014 Integrating Perennial Grasses for Sustainable Agricultural Systems to Maximize Farm Profitability D.K. Lee Assistant Professor Department of Crop Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign leedk@illinois.edu North Central

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3/17/2014 1 Integrating Perennial Grasses for Sustainable Agricultural Systems to Maximize Farm Profitability

D.K. Lee Assistant Professor Department of Crop Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign leedk@illinois.edu

North Central Regional Center for Rural Development March 11, 2014

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Outline

  • Background and introduction

– Grassland agriculture – Multifuncational agriculture – Limitations in adapting perennial grasses

  • Agronomy of perennial grasses

– Establishment – Management

  • On-farm application and economics

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A Permanent Agriculture

OUR GOAL is permanency in agriculture: an agriculture that is stable and secure for farm and farmer, consistent in prices and earning; an agriculture that can satisfy indefinitely all our needs of food, fiber, and shelter in keeping with the living standards we set. Everybody has a stake in a permanent agriculture.

P.V. Cardon, 1948

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Our Grassland – Tallgrass Prairie

“Grassland is a good way to farm and to live, the best way I

know of to use and improve soil, the very thing on which our life and civilization rest.” Clinton P. Anderson (1948)

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  • Grasslands lost to row crops

– 99% of tallgrass prairie lost – 3.1 million acres in South Dakota from 2001 to 2010 – Temperate grassland the most-altered biome globally, but the least protected

  • Lost of benefits

– Ecological services: nutrient cycling, C storage, soil erosion, hydrologic cycle, biodiversity – Economic service: Livestock, recreation

Problem Statement

Source: EcoSun Prairie Farm, Cater Johnson

Grassland nesting birds declining faster than any

  • ther bird group in N. America (Peterjohn and Sauer 1999)

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Back to the Future in U.S. Agriculture

  • We, the people, need to care for

the earth enrich our living environment; clean and plentiful water, fertile, vibrant, and productive soils, abundance and diversity of plants and animals, renewable energy, sustainable food and products

  • Our future management choice

should promote these goals

Historically managed our grassland agriculture can reduce/slowdown climate changes, desertification, soil erosion, flooding, and other ills

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Multifunctional Agro-ecosystem

  • Increased soil organic matter

and microbial life

  • Decreased use of fossil fuels
  • Sustainable nonpolluting

capture of energy

  • Reduced use of toxic

products

  • More soil protected with living

cover

  • Greater diversity of plants

and animals

  • Maximize producer resources

The future agricultural system could include a perennial

grass-based sustainable agriculture that would

encourage:

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Why Perennial Crops?

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Biodiversity on the Landscape will Promote Productivity and Sustainability of Our Agriculture FOOD, FEED, FIBER, FUEL

No Single Silver Bullet

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Opportunities with Perennial Grasses

  • Native grass hay
  • Native plant seed (upland and wetland)
  • Specialty meet (e.q., grass-fed beef)
  • Conservation payment
  • Carbon credit
  • Cellulosic biofuels
  • Recreation (ecotourism, fee hunting)

Income Streams

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Limitations in Adapting Perennial Grasses

  • Selection of species and cultivars
  • Seed sources
  • Cropping system design
  • Establishment
  • Weed control
  • Fertilization
  • Harvest management
  • Market value/availability

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Agronomy of Perennial Grasses

Source: J.W. Voigt

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Integrating Perennial grasses

Cropping Landscape Design

Source: Sarah Taylor Lovell, Sun Prairie Farm, Carter Johnson

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Perennial Grasses from Our Tallgrass Prairie

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15 Indiangrass Big Bluestem Switchgrass Native Mixtures

Warrior Chief Goldmine Bonanza DK-IL Kanlow CIR IN/BB BB/IN/SW IN/SW/SO BB/IN/SO MxG

Biomass yield (Mg ha-1)

5 10 15 20 2010 2011 2012 Urbana, IL Miscanthus

Management Practices

Species selection

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Southern origin IL origin Northern origin Lowland types Upland types

Urbana, IL

Management Practice

Cultivar selection

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Management Practices

Establishment – three dominant species

Switchgrass Big bluestem Indiangrass September 17, 2012 Planted in May, 2012 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL

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Management Practices

Fast germination – Prairie cordgrass

Prairie cordgrass seed Whole seed Caryopsis

Time (Day)

5 10 15 20 25

Germination (%)

20 40 60 80 100

Caryopsis, PC17-109 Caryopsis, PCG-109 Whole seed, PC17-109 Whole seed, PCG-109

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Planted May 25, 2009 7 inch spacing 10 lb/ac seeding rate

June 21, 2009

With pre-emergent

July 22, 2009

  • Sep. 10 7, 2009
  • Aug. 3, 2009

Planted May 25, 2009 7 inch spacing 10 lb/ac seeding rate

June 21, 2009

Without pre-emergent

  • Sep. 10 7, 2009

July 9, 2010 July 9, 2010

Management Practices

Weed control

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All Locations N Rate (kg ha-1)

50 100 150 200 250

Biomass yield (Mg ha-1)

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 PSC, Summer-peak standing crop AKF, Fall-after a killing frost OWN, Early spring following overwintering

Management Practices

Fertility and Harvest – switchgrass

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EcoSun Prairie Farms Inc.

  • 640 acres of cropland and former CRP land

converted to native grassland and restored wetlands

  • Started in 2008
  • Seed production:~70 acres
  • 60 acres switchgrass
  • Prairie cordgrass, wedgegrass, sedge
  • Hay and pasture: ~260 acres
  • Warm season/forbs
  • Warm/cool/forbs/legumes
  • Croplands

Goal to demonstrate economic viability of “commercial” grassland grown on croplands

Courtesy of Dr. Carter Johnson

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EcoSun Prairie Farms Inc.

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EcoSun Prairie Farms Inc.

Economic challenges

  • Achieving planned production and cost

levels

  • Marketing to obtain premium prices
  • Marketing costs?
  • Transitioning to get through the

establishment period

  • Cost-share sources on seed and seeding costs
  • Maintaining an income stream during transition

years

  • Generating income as soon as possible on newly

establishment (without jeopardizing stand)

Courtesy of Dr. Carter Johnson

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EcoSun Prairie Farms Inc.

Products

  • Native grass hay
  • Native plant seed
  • Custom grazing
  • Grass-finished beef
  • Cellulosic biofuel feedstock
  • Recreation (ecotourism, fee hunting)
  • Ecosystem services

Courtesy of Dr. Carter Johnson

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EcoSun Prairie Farms Inc.

Ecosystem services

  • Farm level economic decisions do not include

the value of ecosystem services, which could make grasslands more attractive.

  • Ways that producers might be paid for

ecosystem services?

  • Conservation payments
  • Environmental markets (e.g. carbon credits)
  • Branding (e.g. grass-fed beef)
  • Marketing environmental amenities (e.g.

ecotourism, hunting)

Courtesy of Dr. Carter Johnson

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EcoSun Prairie Farms Inc.

Income s

Courtesy of Dr. Carter Johnson

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Promote Productivity and Sustainability of Our Agriculture FOOD, FEED, FIBER, FUEL

Biodiversity within Agro-ecosystem

Source: cenusa bioenergy

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THANK YOU !

D.K.. Lee 217-333-7736 leedk@illinois.edu