Between 2003 and 2006, a study was conducted at The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Headquarters Farm to demonstrate the possibility and practicality of pasturing stocker cattle on bermudagrass while using legumes instead of nitrogen fertilizer.

"The high cost of commercial nitrogen fertilizer has many people looking for alternatives," said Jim Johnson Jr., Agricultural Specialist at the Noble Foundation. "If you have suitable soil and moisture, consider adding legumes to your pastures. It may sound strange, but it's the closest thing we have to a nitrogen fertilizer giveaway."

Various legumes, including alfalfa, clovers (arrowleaf, crimson, red, rose and white) and hairy vetch, were established in 2002 and 2003 to evaluate their persistence. Stockers were rotated on four paddocks, which were later split into eight, and moved so that pastures received about 14 days of rest between grazing.

The four-year study found legumes used as a nitrogen source worked effectively in rotational grazing situations. "The necessary management skills are similar for both," Johnson said.

Throughout the four-year study, average grazing days per acre per year were 153. The average gain during that period was 292 pounds of beef or 1.91 pounds of gain per head per day. Production costs were 17.7 cents per pound of gain and included supplement, phosphorus, lime, seed, and application and planting expenses.

Broadleaf weeds were not a problem because many weeds were grazed. Where needed, chemical weed control was applied with a weed wiper during two of the summers. Further, bloat was not a problem, and no methods were utilized to control it, even on lush pastures. "The fear of bloat is probably far more prevalent than the actual incidence of bloat," Johnson said.

The study also showed farmers would be more dependent on the weather using legumes instead of commercial fertilizer, because legumes and grass both need good weather to grow.

"This study provided some interesting findings," said Johnson. "The most productive and persistent legumes in the study were Patriot and Durana white clover and hairy vetch, but arrowleaf and crimson clover also made some contribution. Farmers and ranchers may consider using legumes as a nitrogen giveaway in a rotational grazing situation. This system may also work well for a spring-calving cow herd."

07-035

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News Release Issued: June 28, 2007

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. (www.noble.org), headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a nonprofit organization conducting agricultural, forage improvement and plant biology research; assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs; and providing grants to nonprofit charitable, educational and health organizations.