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‘Forage Suitability * Something That Can Be Plotted, Used By Producers
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
CAMP HILL (Cumberland Co.)
Best results from those who
want to begin grazing begin with
planning. And producers who
want to invest in a grazing system
for their farm need to look at the
details and come up with an overall
plan that fits their soil conditions,
livestock, climate, and other items
specific to their operation.
Producers need to invest in an
integrated forage livestock system,
not just a grass grazing system,
noted Edward B. Rayburn, exten
sion forage agronomist with West
Virginia University in
Morgantown.
Rayburn spoke to more than 100
producers and grazing representa
tives recently at the Grazing In the
Northeast Workshop at the Radis
son Penn Harris Hotel and Con
vention Center in Camp Hill.
Graziers need to remember they
are "harvesting sunlight and con
verting it to cash,” Rayburn said.
There is a science and an ait to for
age and livestock system manage
ment “Managers need to under
stand the biology and ecology of
systems they are working
with.”
Until now, there has been little
USDA, NRCS
FORAGE SUITABILITY GROUP
Deep, channery, well drained, strongly acid, moderately steep upland soils
FSGNo.: G-127NY401PA
Major Land Resource Area; N 127 -
Eastern Allegheny Plateau and
Mountains
Climate: Average annual precipitation
ranges from 40 to 56 inches. Snowfall
ranges from 35 inches in the south to 90
inches in the north. Snow cover at
depths greater than one inch average a
high of 90 days at higher elevations in
the north to a low of 20 at lower
elevations in the south. Growing
season precipitation ranges between 22
and 32 inches. Average monthly
precipitation is rather evenly distributed
during the year ranging from 2.7 inches
to 4 5 inches. Precipitation events of
more than 0.1 inch occur about every 3
to 4 days on average. Average annual
minimum temperature ranges from 0
degree F to -20 degrees F. Average
July temperature ranges from 68
degrees F. to 72 degrees F Average
freeze-free period is 100 days to 160
days This is greatly influenced by
elevational position on the mountains or
in the valleys. It is less affected by
latitude although it trends higher to the
south once the Maryland - West Virginia
border is reached. Growing degree
days, base 40 degrees F, is 3500 to
5000 annually. Growing degree days,
base 50 degrees F., for the 30 week
period from March 1 to September 26 is
2000 to 3000 Relative humidity is high
throughout the growing season
averaging about 55 percent at mid
aftemoon increasing during the night to
80 percent at dawn Potential evapo
transpiration ranges from 22 to 27
inches See water budgets for Couders
port and Johnstown, PA
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
The Southeastern Pennsylvania
Resource Conservation and De
velopment (RC&D) Area has been
authorized and funded by Secre
tary of Agriculture Dan Glickman
to provide economic and resource
assistance to Berks, Bucks. Ches
ter, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgom-
data about what types of soil con
ditions favor certain types of for
age mixtures. However, work
being undertaken by the USDA's
Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) could change all
that.
James B. Cropper, forage man
agement specialist with the USDA
NRCS at the Pasture Systems and .
Watershed Management Research
Laboratory in University Park,
spoke about forage suitability at
the conference.
What kind of forages would be
suitable for grazing? A new assess
ment procedure has been proposed
by the University of Wisconsin
Cooperative Extension and the
NRCS Grazing Lands Technology
Institute, according to Cropper.
The procedure rates the condi
tion of a pasture site. The pasture
condition rating worksheet is in
early stages of development Base
d on a Wisconsin extension publi
cation, it rates the condition of a
pasture based on the following
characteristics: plant desirability,
density, vigor, percent legume in
the stand, uniformity of use, pre
sence of sheet and rill erosion,
stream bank and gully erosion,
concentrated livestock areas, soil
compaction, and site resilience.
Soil Suitability Group Description
The soils in this group are moderately
steep, deep, well drained soils on
hilltops and hillsides. Although con
sidered deep, the soils in this group are
underlain by sandstone, siltstone, or
shale bedrock at depths of 46 to 54
inches. The topsoil is a channery loam
to silt loam having 15 percent or more
thin, flat rock fragments as much as 6
inches long. Available water holding
capacity is moderate ranging from 3.7 to
5 4 inches within maximum rooting
depth. Topsoil and subsoil pH's of
unlimed soils range from 3.6 to 6.0.
Cation exchange capacity in the topsoil
ranges from 12 to 20. Organic matter
content of the topsoil ranges from 1 to 4
percent. Frost heave potential on the
soils in this group is moderate.
Seasonal high water table is at depths
greater than 6 feet. Deeply incised
water courses are often present on the
hillslopes occupied by this soil group.
These water courses run the length of
the slope and parallel to each other.
They may be intermittent or spring-fed.
Soil Map Unit List:
HaD
HoO
LeD
Moisture balance for Johnstown, Pennsylvania, based upon a period of 1961-1990
PET calculated by Newhall Simulation Model (Van Wambeke et al.. 1992)
Soil water balance at two representative altitudes Soil shown has an 8 inch AWC, double of this
soil group Soil Group being described has a dry upper rooting zone for 15 to 30 days each ye*
One sample shown at the conference details an FSG for the eastern Allegheny Plateau and mountains. Here are the
details on the FSG for two examples, one in Coudersport and Johnstown. Pagc M 1)
Pennsylvania Announces New RC&D Area
cry, and Northampton counties as
of March 17, according to Janet
Oertly, state conservationist,
USDA Natural Resources Conser
vation Service.
Southeastern Pennsylvania
RC&D began providing assis
tance to communities within its
area prior to authorization with
Plant vigor causative effects are
soil fertility, soil pH, severity of
livestock use, and forage species
adaptation.
Another way to assess pastures
is through forage suitability group
(FSG) formulation and documen
tation in the NRCS “National
Range and Pasture Handbook.”
Not all areas have been docu
mented at this time. However, one
sample shown at the conference
details an FSG for the eastern
Allegheny Plateau and mountains.
The FSG sheet provides detail for
Hartleton channery silt loam, 15
to 25 percent slopes
Hazelton channery loam, 15 to
25 percent slopes
Leek Kill channery silt loam, 15 to
25 percent slopes
projects such as die Quakertown
Swamp in Bucks County. The
wetland, one of the largest blue
heron rookeries in the state, has
been designated as one of the two
most important bird areas in the
county by the National Audubon
Society.
RC&Ds are gran-roots efforts
Producers need to Invest in an Integrated tbrage livestock system, not Just a grass
grazing system, noted Edward B. Rayburn, extension forage agronomist with West
Virginia University in Morgantown, far left. In center Is dames Cropper, USDA NRCS,
and at right Is Floyd P. Horn, acting deputy undersecretary, USDA/Research, Educa
tion, and Economics.
select species for forage produc
tion, what to use to get production,
and specific management practices
to sustain production.
In a short time, according to
Cropper, “new tools will be ready
to do an even greater job” of proper
resource management, he noted.
According to Rayburn of West
Virginia University, another vital
link to improved forage systems is
Provided are adapted forage getting the right animal genetics,
species for the soil types and cli- “Animal genetics and herd
malic conditions of those areas, health so a lona way to make anv
These tools, according to Crop- grazing management program
per of NRCS, can help producers look good,” Rayburn said.
FORAGE SUITABILITY GROUP
Deep, channery, well drained, strongly acid, moderately steep upland soils
CPA-PA-00
suitable forage crops based on
deep, channery, well-drained,
strongly acid, and moderately
steep upland soils, consisting of
Hartleton channery silt loam,
Hazelton channery loam, and Leek
Kill channery silt loam. Details on
the FSG for two examples, one in
Coudersport and Johnstown, are
provided in this issue.
140
PET —FRCP
120
's' 100
J, (Ain.)
la*
O 60
£3 2 In.
0C . n
t- 40
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Moisture balance for Coudersport 4 NW, Pennsylvania, based upon a period of 1901-1990
PET calculated by Newhall Simulation Model (Van Watnbeke et al , 1992)
160
PET —PR CP
■ Moisture Deficit
b Moisture Recharge
and Surplus
140
120
-=• 100
£ Kin.)
at 2 in.
fib*
40
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jui Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
of local citizens to provide leader
ship for improving the economic
base of the community through
the wise use of available natural
and human resources. RC&D’s
work with small businesses to find
and expand markets, research uses
and value, adding to local prod
ucts and developments of many
Mean Sommer (<|un-Jul«Aug)
Moisture Deficit ■ 11 mm
Total PROP > PST > 460 mm
(1039H5T5)
K m Recharge U • Utilisation S ■ Surplus
Month
• ten '
» v- -* v
Mean Summer (Jun-Jul-Aug)
Moisture Deficit ■ 3« mm
Tout PRCP - PET - 524 mm
(1213H680)
U m Utilisation S » Surplus
✓
R » Recbarßt
Month
Coudersport 4 NW, PA
Station 1806
Elevation 2300 ft
\ *,
\
V
\
S.
Johnstown, PA
Station 4385
Elevation 1214 ft
Mesic, Typic Udic
7 :"
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other activities.
For information on the South
eastern Pennsylvania RC&D, con
tact council chairman William
Vanlngen at (215) 675-3198. For
information on other RC&Ds
throughout the state, contact Terry
Mitchell, assistant state conserva
tionist, NRCS, at (717) 237-2205.