PASTURE IN A CONSERVATION FARM PLAN

Harry H. Gardner, John P. Jones

A FARM conservation plan is based on three factors: The land, the farm organization, and the farmer.

The land must be used properly to prevent loss of soil by erosion and loss of production by soil deterioration. The farm organization must be considered because crop and pasture programs, livestock, equipment, buildings, and supplies affect the farm income. The farmer's desires and abilities limit the use of land and the economic returns.

Two farm conservation plans are cited to illustrate how proper land use is determined, the development of crop and pasture systems, and the use of soil conservation measures.

One of the farms selected as an example is a dairy farm in a Northeastern State. The other is a grain farm at the edge of the Corn Belt.

The dairy farm had 20 acres in corn, 6 acres in truck crops, 17 acres in grain, and 43 acres of meadow, approximately a 2-1-3 rotation that is, 2 acres of cultivated crops to 1 acre of grain and 3 acres of meadow. Such a rotation can be considered satisfactory for maintaining the productivity of the cropland if all the manure is saved and returned to the land. But the 25 acres of permanent pasture on the farm and 41 acres of woodland did not produce enough pasture throughout the year for a herd of 32 cows and 5 heifers. Pasture any forage crop harvested by grazing is the cheapest feed for dairy cows, and the farm conservation plan should usually provide all the green forage needed.

Despite this requirement, the first adjustment in pasture practice was to take the livestock out of the 41-acre woodland. That reduced the number of acres of grazing but made little difference in the amount of feed since woodland produces very little palatable forage for dairy cows. Grazing the woodland harms the land and the trees; the trampling of the cattle interferes with the accumulation of litter, which helps prevent erosion; the cattle also graze on new growth and thus prevent young trees from developing; the older trees do not grow so rapidly as where the woods are protected.

The problem then was to work out a plan for cropland and pasture that would provide the needed green forage and grain and hay. Of course, there is always more than one way to do it, and no standard formula can be followed on all farms, but it is logical to make an inventory of land, livestock, feed requirements, farm buildings, available help, and all pertinent items.

On the basis of a soil conservation survey, the land on this farm was placed in four classes, depending on suitability for a specific use. Much of the land is cropland suitable for corn and other grain if proper soil-saving practices are used Classes II and III in the Use Capability Classes that are designated by the Soil Conservation Service.

There seemed to be little justification for changing the number of dairy cows on the farm if enough feed could be grown. Barn facilities were adequate, and sufficient help available. It did seem advisable to increase the number of young stock from 5 to 8 in order to maintain a dairy herd of 32 cows.

On the Land Use Map three fields, numbered 6, 8, and 12 (of 10, 17, and 32 acres, respectively) were laid out for crops because they are fertile and suitable for cultivation. Much of the land is level (from 1- to 3-percent slopes), but some slopes are fairly steep (8 percent or a little more). More than half of the original topsoil still remains. Erosion has not yet been severe. (Plan A).

The land-capability classes are:

Class I. Good, level land, well-drained, subject to little erosion. May be cultivated safely with good soil-management practices.

Class II. Good land, moderately steep, subject to some erosion. Requires simple, soil-conservation practices such as contouring, cover crops, and water management for safe cultivation.

Class III. Moderately good land, subject to severe erosion. Can be cultivated safely with intensive treatments such as terracing, water-control operations, strip cropping, and cover crops in rotation.

Class IV. Fairly good land, subject to damaging erosion if cultivated on slopes. Best suited to complete cover of grasses and legumes for pasture and hay, but may be cultivated occasionally. This is the crucial type of land for soil conservation. If given no care, it will rapidly fall into one of the classes not suited to any cultivation. With adequate conservation practices it can be maintained as productive land.

Class V. Land nearly level but not suited for cultivation. Best used with grass cover for grazing or for growing trees.

Class VI. Land requiring complete cover of grass or trees. Suited only to grazing or forestry under careful management.

Class VII. Land requiring complete cover for safety. Requires extreme care in management, even for grazing or forestry.

Class VIII. Rugged land, usually steep and stony, too dry, too wet, or severely eroded. May be suited to wildlife, recreation, or watershed protection.

A 4-year rotation of corn-grain-meadow-meadow with strip cropping is adapted to this field arrangement and should provide ample protection against erosion. Fields 6 and 8 (27 acres in all) are used as one field unit; field 12 (32 acres) is used as the second field unit. Since the fields are strip-cropped that is, the crops are grown in strips or bands on the contour alternate strips of corn and first-year meadow are in one field unit and alternate strips of grain and second-year meadow are in the other field unit every year. This meadow is used for hay, although the oats and second-year meadow in one field unit or a part of it may be pastured, if the farmer desires to do so.

Fields 3, 4, 7, and 11 (32 acres) are planned for meadows to be used for hay and grazing. Because of the slope of the land, the amount of erosion, and the soil conditions, these fields are better adapted for forage than for grain crops. Five acres formerly used as permanent pasture were shifted to this land use because the soil is productive enough for more intensive use. This change in use does not increase the erosion hazard on this class of land.

Twenty acres, in fields 2, 5, and 10, were maintained in permanent pasture. Such an arrangement of pasture fields that is, the four hay-pasture fields and the three permanent-pasture fields permits rotation grazing and the separation of young stock and dry cows from the milking herd. These 52 acres should produce about 160 pasture-days. In some years that may not be quite enough for the entire herd, so the grazing management must be well planned and supervised. Rotation grazing should be practiced on all the pastures.