This project addresses the environmental pillar of sustainability through exploring nutrient cycling and water quality and consumption by quantifying and comparing the amount of water and fertilizer inputs used on land before and after a representative farm entered its land into a water conservation area (WCA) and an integrated cattle grazing source to conserve water resources. Utilizing an integrated grazing system with cattle allows producers the opportunity to produce a viable product while reducing their overall water and fertilizer inputs. Water quantity and quality is essential for the everyday life of plants, animals, and humans. Irrigation is a common practice to improve the production of semi-arid land. Major irrigation in southwest Kansas is placed on corn, sorghum, soybeans, alfalfa, cotton, and wheat. The water source for irrigation is from the Ogallala Aquifer which ranges from Texas to South Dakota. The farm involved in this study, Thunderstruck Farms, is located south of Garden City, Kansas, and has 3,035 irrigated hectares and 4,047 hectares total (7,500 irrigated acres and 10,000 acres total) with the primary water source coming from the Ogallala Aquifer. In 2018, this farm entered all its irrigated land into a WCA to conserve water resources. Previously, land would have been used for growing primarily corn for grain. Since entering the WCA, all crops grown on the land are utilized for silage, hay, or pasture to support the dairy and feedyard enterprises in the region. Approximately 809 hectares per year are planted for grazing pastures. Light-weight beef calves (181 – 272 kg; 400 – 600 lbs) graze these irrigated pastures (approximately 120 days). Following the grazing season, the majority of the cattle are finished out at Hy-Plains Feedyard located near Montezuma, KS.
The objective of this project was to quantify and compare the amount of water and fertilizer inputs used on land before and after becoming a WCA and integrated cattle grazing source, as well as the pounds of beef produced.
Specific aims were to:
During the entire 10-year period evaluated, Thunderstruck Farms used 50,765,822,915 L (13,412,370,651 gallons) less than allocated, with 57.8% of the conservation occurring during the 5-year period of the WCA. Average nitrogen administration reduced 39% per year since entering the WCA. During the same period, the farm gained 2,832,754 kg (6,245,154 lbs) of beef which were transferred to the feedyard to finish. At the onset of the project, it was already evident that soil health was in very good condition, likely due to being in an integrated cattle grazing system for three years prior to initial sample collection. The phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA) soil microbial community analysis was very promising, with an overall balanced bacterial community rating throughout the period; one field’s PLFA rating went to average from an excellent rating. Although changes in soil health were difficult to detect in the short period, the current ratings were a good indication that the field has the potential to be very productive in the long run. It also suggests that with good soil health, other soil physical properties, such as infiltration or hydraulic conductivity, can be improved. The initial average weight of cattle grazing was 204 kg (450 lbs). On average, cattle consumed 17.94 L/head/d (4.74 gal/head/d). Monthly water use peaked when averaged ambient temperatures peaked during the summer months. A total of 10,336,777 kg (22,792,594 lbs) of corn and 2,398,275 kg (5,288,196 lbs) of wet distiller’s grains were saved by placing 21,568 head of cattle through a grazing program over a 4-year period from 2018 to 2021. The corn and wet distiller’s savings resulted in conserving 4,501,666,805 L (1,189,343,938 gallons) of water, calculated based on the reduced input usage of cattle at the feedyard. Based on the calculations from this research on water saved over a 4-year period by decreasing commodity (corn and distiller’s) resources by grazing cattle, this averaged a savings of 1,125,416,701 L (297,335,985 gallons) of water in each year per 4,047 hectares (10,000 acres). When modeling the addition of one additional producer with 10,000 acres, there was an increase of savings of water in gallons by 66.7%. Adding three additional producers with 10,000 acres increased the water savings by 120%, and five additional producers increased savings by 142.9%. If one person in western Kansas uses 1,037 L (274 gallons) of water a day, that means that one person would use 378,538 L (100,010 gallons) of water in a year. A city like Garden City would use 10,229,985,396 L (2,702,700,250 gallons) of water in a year based on its yearly average population. Therefore, it would take just over 36,423 hectares (90,000 acres) to save the amount of water produced by a municipality like Garden City in one year.
Water conservation and sustainability is paramount for the survival of agricultural producers and the local economies/social communities which they help support. Water conservation efforts are essential to the long-term survivability of the Ogallala Aquifer and cattle producers in general. Utilizing an integrated grazing system with cattle allows producers the opportunity to still produce a viable product while reducing their overall water and fertilizer inputs. Knowledge of cattle and facilities are needed to be able to successfully implement these strategies. Integrated grazing systems improve soil health and reduce the inputs required for cattle to reach harvest end point. All these practices result in more water availability for surrounding municipalities and allow for a thriving economy.