WILL MORE FORAGE PAY? 37 



major proportions in farm organization and operation. More moderate 

 shifts to grasses and legumes than called for in these systems probably 

 could be made more quickly and more easily on many farms. 



SOUTHERN STATES— PRELIMINARY FINDINGS 



Because of relatively high prices for livestock and livestock prod- 

 nets, greatly increased local demand, and relative shortage of farm 

 labor, many farmers in the South turned to more livestock during the 

 war. Some of this increased production was based on concentrate 

 feed purchased at high prices. These farmers are wondering how 

 they can reduce the cost of producing milk and beef. In some areas 

 of the South, particularly in the limestone areas of Kentucky. Ten- 

 nessee, and Virginia, bluegrass grows naturally and makes excellent 

 pasture for a part of the year. Recent experiments at the State ex- 

 periment stations and experience of farmers indicate that the carrying 

 capacity of these pastures can be materially increased. In many 

 areas farther south, cropland left idle reverts to briars, bushes, or 

 trees. Even if the bushes are kept down, the native pasture is rather 

 low in carrying capacity and is not very nutritions. Furthermore, 

 it becomes quite unpalatable and is often short in growth during the 

 dry summer months. 



Except in cases of free range, woodland and swamp grazing, farm- 

 ers in the deep South have learned that building a fence around a field 

 which is no longer fit for cropping does not return much grazing and 

 income. But recent developments at southern experiment stations 

 have demonstrated that in many areas in the South, permanent pas- 

 tures with very high carrying capacities can be developed and that the 

 quality of hay can be improved. Furthermore, temporary or rota- 

 tion pasture can be developed to supplement the permanent pastures. 

 However, the development of either type of pasture and of alfalfa 

 requires rather heavy inputs of phosphates and. in many case.-, other 

 fertilizer and lime as well as seed, fencing, etc. 



There is considerable interest in development of pasture and other 

 forage because many farmers are of the opinion that the old stand-by 

 crops of cotton, peanuts, and tobacco are likely to be in trouble before 

 too many year- have passed. Therefore, this investigation involves 

 testing whether it is technically feasible and economically profitable 

 for southern farmers to convert their present farming systems to sys- 

 tems that depend almost entirely upon pasture, hay. and other forage 

 for utilization by livestock. It is the proposition to be proved or dis- 

 proved, in whole or in part. It must stand or fall on the basis of 

 results from physical and economic research and farmer experience. 

 Examples of research and farm experience reported in the following 

 pages give a clue as to how far southern farmers can profitably go 

 in utilization of forage in a livestock program, but a more definitive 

 answer will come only after completion of intensive study in repre- 

 sentative type-of-farming areas. 



New Systems of Forage Utilization at Southern Experiment Stations 



for beef cattle 



In the Black Belt of Alabama, the substation at Marion Junction 

 ha- worked for nearly lJo years to develop a sound management system 

 for production of beef cattle. Efforts have been devoted toward de- 



