A new bulletin from the University of Wyoming Extension addresses some of the major factors to consider when establishing birdsfoot trefoil.
Birdsfoot trefoil is a potential alternative to alfalfa, especially under poor acidic soil conditions and where a bloating-free forage legume is desired, said Anowar Islam, extension forage specialist.
The bulletin is Birdsfoot Trefoil: Establishment and Management as Monocultures and Mixtures in Wyoming, B-1321.
Birdsfoot trefoil is adapted to Wyoming conditions and performs well when grown either as a monocrop or in mixtures with compatible grasses and legumes, Islam said.
“Although slow to establish, the plant produces high yields of high nutritive-value forage,” he said.
The free bulletin can be viewed or downloaded by going to www.uwyo.edu/uwe and clicking on the Find a Publication link. Type either the title or number in the search field.
The high-intensity 2012 Arapaho Fire burned the majority of ponderosa pine across nearly 100,000 acres in the north Laramie Mountains, including young and mature trees at the Rogers Research Site.
A new University of Wyoming bulletin provides important baseline data for current and future studies at the UW-owned Rogers Research Site and surrounding lands in the Laramie Mountains of southeast Wyoming.
RRS Bulletin 6, Soils of the University of Wyoming Rogers Research Site, North Laramie Mountains, Wyoming, B-1298.6, details a soils inventory and mapping project that started in 2009 and continued after the 2012 high-intensity Arapaho Fire, which burned approximately 98,000 acres in the north Laramie Mountains, including RRS.
When Col. William C. Rogers bequeathed his Triple R Ranch to UW in 2002, he stated in his will the 320-acre parcel now named in his memory should be used, in part, for research relating to the improvement of forestry and wildlife resources.
Lead author Larry Munn, now a professor emeritus in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, completed his field work at RRS in 2014, and then collaborated with Shawn Lanning in the Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center and others to create five digital soils maps, both pre- and post-fire.
Objectives, in part, were to provide baseline data for other studies at the site, including one focused on post-fire ponderosa pine restoration, another comparing pre- and post-fire soils, and a third examining how the additions of various soil amendments affect soil microbial community recovery.
UW faculty-student teams are carrying out these ongoing projects. Preliminary findings from the ponderosa pine study were presented in RRS Bulletin 5, and early results from the other two studies will be detailed in a pair of bulletins nearing completion.
“Becky has an extensive history of involvement in the 4-H program in Nebraska and Wyoming,” said Kim Reaman, UW Extension federal relations and staff development coordinator. “She is a 10-year 4-H member and continued her involvement through collegiate 4-H as well as an intern position with Albany County extension.”
Brix received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from UW and a master’s degree in agricultural extension education from Colorado State University.
She has also been an active community member in Laramie, including Jubilee Days, Night to Shine Laramie and Special Olympics.
University of Wyoming undergraduate student Kristina Kline, left, and bulletin co-author Stephanie Winters mark the edge of a subplot prior to starting a ponderosa pine seedling survival survey in July 2017.
A new University of Wyoming bulletin contributes to the building knowledge base of post-fire ponderosa pine restoration across Wyoming and the West.
UW faculty members, students and others are exploring best management practices for restoring a ponderosa pine forest following the 2012 Arapaho Fire, which burned approximately 98,000 acres in the north Laramie Mountains of southeast Wyoming.
They are conducting the ongoing study at the 320-acre Rogers Research Site (RRS) in extreme northeast Albany County. The fire killed the majority of ponderosa at the site, which is owned by UW and managed by the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station (WAES) within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
In 2015, a UW faculty-student team launched the long-term project at RRS to investigate the impacts of different restoration treatments applied to the post-fire landscape. Early
findings are detailed in RRS Bulletin 5, Restoration of Ponderosa Pine Following High-Intensity Fire, Rogers Research Site, North Laramie Mountains, Wyoming. B-1298.5.
Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) has evolved to survive frequent, low-intensity fires, which clear out the understory. But high-severity fires like the Arapaho, which occurred during a severe drought, are killing the thick-barked trees, and research is still evolving to determine best management practices for restoring P. ponderosa forests following such fires.
“Extreme wildfire seasons are occurring concurrently with drought, and our research is trying to determine if utilizing management practices like broadcast-seeding ponderosa pine seed or hand-planting seedlings are viable options for reforestation,” said co-author Stephanie Winters, a graduate student in the UW Department of Ecosystem Science and Management.
Learning management-intensive grazing concepts and then applying the ideas with hands-on demonstrations is part of a four-day grazing school Monday-Thursday, June 25-28, near Lusk.
The sessions are intended for livestock producers looking to enhance grazing management skills and improve forage and livestock production, said Blake Hauptman, University of Wyoming Extension educator.
Half of each day is in the classroom learning management-intensive grazing concepts and then applying the concepts with hands-on demonstrations and using cattle provided by the Harsy Land and Cattle near Lusk, he said.
Jim Gerrish of American GrazingLands Services LLC, author of the book “Kick the Hay Habit” and a contributing writer for the Stockman Grass Farmer, will lead the class. Gerrish has over 20 years experience conducting beef-forage systems research and outreach at the University of Missouri, 20 years of commercial cattle and sheep production on his family’s farm in northern Missouri, and now manages a grazing operation near May, Idaho.
Feed costs are typically the number-one expense on most cow-calf operations, said Hauptman. Stockpiling forages and extending the grazing season while maintaining acceptable livestock performance can lead to major economic benefits for a ranch.
The class is focused on increasing ranch profitability by showing how to design water and fencing infrastructure to achieve better use and improve pasture health, Hauptman said.
“Whether you are wanting to set-up a management-intensive grazing operation on land that is irrigated or sub-irrigated or make improvements in grazing your upland pastures, I think you will be happy you attended this class,” he said.
Cost is $400 per person and $200 for each additional person from the same operation. Registration costs cover all noon meals, two dinners and class materials. Class size is limited, and registration is requested by June 15.
For more information or to have a brochure sent to register, contact Hauptman at 307-283-1192 or bhauptma@uwyo.edu, or Abby Perry at 307-328-2642 or ajacks12@uwyo.edu.
A new bulletin from the University of Wyoming Extension addresses some of the major factors to consider when establishing birdsfoot trefoil.
