There is interest in sustainable use of grassland for beef production in Appalachia. To meet that interest, a team of USDA-ARS, West Virginia University and Virginia Tech scientists is developing practices to produce market-ready beef entirely on pasture and forage in the Appalachian Region. A study was undertaken to assess winter triticale (×Triticosecale spp.) as a potential component of forage systems from the perspective of reducing forage yield risk. Results from the study were recently published (Clapham, W. M., J. M. Fedders, A. O. Abaye, and E. B. Rayburn. 2008. Forage Pasture Production, Risk Analysis and the Buffering Capacity of Triticale. Agronomy Journal, 100:128-135.)

Photo by N. Wade Snyder