| Show I Beef Production Far More Than Doubled Thru Pasture Planning An acre acre of ot average mountain meadow or pastureland has the nutrient value to pr produce duce a about out 28 worth of beef at 20 cent a pound Fertilization plus good goodwater goodwater goodwater water a arid and d harvest management can increase this figure lre to 1 worth of beef an acre acre acre-a a gain of an acre Research Studies The These e remark remarkable ble productivity figures resulted from special in area studies sponsored sponsor sponsor- ed by toy United States Steel a leading leading leading lead lead- ing western fertilizer producer working with ranchers and d agri agricultural agricultural cultural agencies l throughout this region Many of these studies are presented In the now available I new US Steel movie Profit on the Mountain These and many other current research studies are being motivated motivated moti moti- by a growing concern I among mountain state agricultural tural experts about the competitive competitive tive forces force which today face ranchers and beef beet growers in this area Beef Grown Crown Cheaper Salt Lake City agronomist Dr Dr Ray Hay CLipps C in a talk before the I Intermountain Range flange and Fertilizer Fertilizer Fer Fer- Conference at Fort Collins Colo late In February pointed up this this' problem when h he ho said lice Beef Is being grown cheaper other sections of and cheaper as I Ithe the country find that well managed man man- managed man man-I aged graBS grassland land and pr profit fit are synonYmous synonymous On the other hand in fa many many parts of the Int Intermountain tain taia West I 1 hear of ot declining range ranges and meadow yields yields' and I grazing allotment reductions or restrictions I According Acc to most experts expert th solution n to this problem can caa only bo found In more modern techniques ques oi of t range management which can s sharply increase the tonnage of b beet beef ef produced per unit of land Among the various management manage management ment practices cited for making land give a bigger return at the lowest cost adequate fertilization heads beads the list of effective steps that can be taken And in the I Intermountain area nitrogen Is 18 I j fj f the fertilizer most often needed in n a range or graS grassland land improvement improve ment went program Case Study Typical of the increased yields that can be realized through the use of nitrogen is a case study reported from Idaho last January January January Janu Janu- ary by John district forest ranger After applying about 40 pounds of nitrogen per acre acte to test plots of of seeded ranges he reported that the fer fer- fertilized fertilized fertilized grass produced pound of dried air-dried hay per acre while the unfertilized produced I pounds per acre Production he reported was 2 13 3 times greater I the fertilized area and the production of protein was even I slightly lightly greater In another typical test using I correct harvest and proper propel Irrigation I gation gatlon nitrogen boosted hay yields at the first cutting froin from three tons tone per acre to four tons per acre When the was wasI I also treated with nitrogen it yielded an additional one fourth I ton of hay per acre acre acre-a a total Increase Increase increase In in- crease of 13 1 tons per acre And heavy nitrogen applications have actually Increased hay yield three tons per acre Research has repeatedly shown that a program of fertilization along with water control and two crop crop op harvesting can boost the I carrying capacity of the average I mountain meadow or pasture by bT foUr times This means that that that-an an acre cre of land which under con conventional conventional con con- range practices es sup sup- sup sup- rte one oae cow eow only a hundred days can produce enough to carry four tour cows for the same sam length oI of of I tittle This assumes that wat water r Is isoz controlled oz i and correct harvesting practices are followed I Through such a program farmand farm farm- ers era and ranches can boost production production production tion per acre by three or four times and their profits even I more |
