2006 Annual Report 1.What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? Why does it matter? Most Appalachian small farms are dependent upon livestock enterprises and rely on commodity markets to sell their livestock. Pasture-raised beef offers producers a potential niche market enterprise, premium prices and higher profits. Pasture- raised beef would require forage production, stockpiling and conservation during the year. Meeting the nutritional needs of grazing cattle through their entire development, 12 months a year with minimal or no dependence upon conserved feed or supplements is the major problem. Grazing systems and forage sequences are developed using modeling tools to predict forage productivity and animal performance for various mixtures and supplemental pure stands. Grazing systems can be configured in the laboratory and then evaluated in the field. This approach is expected to facilitate development of new or novel systems. This project spans the entire beef production beginning with heifer development to final product on the dinner table. Because of the scope of the project and the resources required, this project is a cooperative project with West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA, and University of Georgia in Athens, GA. The research to be undertaken falls under National Program 205, Rangeland, Pasture and Forages, Component I: Ecosystems and their Sustainable Management. Ecological and economically sustainable systems, risk analysis and decision support; Component II: Plant Resources. Improving forages for Livestock Production. Overcoming limitations to plant growth and development; Component III: Forage Management. Forage Establishment and Persistence. Extending the forage grazing system and managing grazing intensity; Component IV: Grazing Management: Livestock Production and the Environment. Management; Management, behavior and production of grazing livestock; and is also relevant to NRP 101, Food Animal Production Component I: Reproductive Efficiency. Heifer Development; Component VI: Growth and Development. Animal Performance; Component VI: Nutrient Intake and Utilization. Protein and Energy-use efficiency, Intake of forages rich in a-linolenic and a-linoleic fatty acids and conversion to conjugated linolenic acids; Component VII: Integrated Systems. Development of forage based beef production systems with risk analysis from cow-calf to finished product. 2.List by year the currently approved milestones (indicators of research progress) FY 2003: Summary of factors affecting risk aversion by pasture-based beef producers in Appalachia. FY 2004: Heifers will average 90% conception in at least one heifer development system. FY 2004: Consumer-based survey to determine attitudes and willingness to pay for pasture-finished beef. FY 2005: Results of focus group on alternative forage management systems for pasture-finished beef. FY 2006: Methods of forage intake estimation will be evaluated/further developed to determine nutrient intake during the winter stocker phase FY 2006: Lime, P and management to maintain legumes in pastures will be defined. FY 2007: Economic (i.e., profitability) profiles for pasture-based finishing systems. FY 2007: Risk assessment of pasture-based beef production based on production data and price data. FY 2007: At least one stocker system will produce cattle that will produce optimum gains and carcass quality in the pasture-finishing phase. FY 2007: Lime and P recommendations for forage systems will be established. FY 2007: Relationships among landscape characteristics, fertility and forages defined. FY 2007: Complete testing of alternative forage management systems for production and animal performance. 4a.List the single most significant research accomplishment during FY 2006. Growth rate of naturalized pasture is 25 to 35 % less in July/August that in April/May. Weight gains of grazing animals is correspondingly lower in July/August unless those animals are supplemented or stocking rate is reduced. Sudangrass, a summer seeded annual, in a small plot experiment, produced over twice as much dry matter as naturalized pasture in late July. However, because of costs of establishment, combining summer and fall seeded annuals (eg triticale) gave lower net economic returns per hectare over variable costs than naturalized pasture. 4b.List other significant research accomplishment(s), if any. Methods of forage intake estimation were evaluated/further developed to determine nutrient intake during the winter stocker phase. Intrinsic forage components (new and classic components), often used to describe the bulk filling properties of forage when consumed by lactating beef cows, failed to yield repeatable results when used to describe intake of stocker steers fed winter feeds. At least one stocker system will produce cattle that will produce optimum gains and carcass quality in the pasture-finishing phase. Year 2 of the winter forage stockering program was completed. Environmental conditions were quite different compared to year one. Under year two conditions multiple winter systems surpassed the goal of maintaining one-pound per day of weight gain with minimal supplementation. Results from year two indicate that several of the tested systems would result in the desired outcome under non-typical mild winter conditions with no additional supplemental feed. This accomplishment will allow refinement of the general systems developed to achieve optimum production of animals meant for pasture finishing the subsequent grazing season. Relationships among landscape characteristics, fertility and forages defined. Soil bacterial communities were changed by earthworm activity when worms consumed a soil/manure mixture. 4c.List significant activities that support special target populations. Felton has participated in a number of field days and conferences that have addressed the needs of Appalachian farmers (small farms) providing training in animal nutritional management needed for producing pasture-finished beef. Rayburn has participated in a number of field days and conferences that have addressed the needs of Appalachian farmers (in the small farms class of producers) providing training in management and marketing practices needed for producing pasture finished beef. These meetings have been in WV, VA, PA, MD and had an attendance of approximately 600 producers and agricultural service providers. Rayburn has produced several Extension fact sheet and bulletins that are available to producers on the WWW dealing with pasture-finished beef. 4d.Progress report. This report serves to document research conducted under a Specific Cooperative Agreement between ARS and West Virginia University. Additional details of research can be found in the report for the parent project 1932-21630-002-00D, Pasture-based Beef Systems for Appalachia. 5.Describe the major accomplishments to date and their predicted or actual impact. Evaluation of several intrinsic forage intake markers for their ability to be used to predict the intake of forages by growing steers indicates that when used singly, they are not adequate to assess intake of growing steers. These findings give direction to multivariate investigation of factors affecting intake of growing animals consuming bulk-filling forage diets. Results from year two of the winter forage stockering systems comparison show the importance of multi-year testing of these forage systems due to the differences in potential environmental conditions. Winter weather in Preston County is typically harsher that that experienced in year 2. Year two results indicate that there is potential for more than one of these systems to yield the desired response with minimal modifications under moderate to mild winter conditions across the varied conditions found in the Appalachian region. 6.What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end-user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? Final recommendations of suitable winter pasture systems for producing pasture finished beef the following year should be available to farmers and scientists by summer 2007. Constraints to the adoption of new forage pasture systems are most likely going to be cost of pasture renovations and farmer acceptance of non-traditional practices. 7.List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. (NOTE: List your peer reviewed publications below). McDonald, L.M., R. Srour and W.B. Bryan. 2005. Phosphorus availability on a pasture toposequence: Effect of available water, soil temperature and phosphorus rate. In Annual Meeting Abstracts [CD-ROM]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA, Madison, WI. November 6-10, 2005. Salt Lake City, UT. Rayburn, Edward B., Rodney M. Wallbrown, and Edward C. Prigge. 2006. Pasture Forage Quality in West Virginia: An On-Farm Research Report for 1999 to 2001. Agricultural and Natural Resources Development Unit. West Virginia University Extension Service. May 2006. http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/forglvst/WVPQ99-01ResRpt.pdf Rayburn, Edward B. 2006. Harvest and Storage Management Affect Hay Quality. Agricultural and Natural Resources Development Unit. West Virginia University Extension Service. May 2006. http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/forglvst/hayquality.pdf Rayburn, Edward B. 2006. Hay Production Costs Cut By Proper Use of Legumes or Nitrogen Fertilizer. Agricultural and Natural Resources Development Unit. West Virginia University Extension Service. February 2006. http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/forglvst/haycosts.pdf Lozier, J.D., E.B. Rayburn, and J. Shaw. 2006. The Decision to Finish Cattle on Pasture: an Ethnographic Approach. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture. (accepted for publication in June issue). Romanczak, T. 2005. Prediction of forage intake and production of steers in a winter forage system. M. S. Thesis. West Virginia University, Division of Animal and Veterinary Science. Sutano, Yovita. 2005. Manure from grazing cattle effects on soil microbial communities and soil quality in northern West Virginia pastures. M. S. Thesis, West Virginia University, Division of Plant and Soil Sciences. Whetsell, M. S., E. B. Rayburn and P. I. Osborne. 2006. Evaluation in Appalachian pasture systems of the 1996 (update 2000) National Research Council model for weaning cattle. J. Anim. Sci. 84:1265-1270.