Perennial forage grains for fall grazing of beef cattle

多年生谷物，特别是驯化的中间小麦草（IWG），作为粮食作物正在接近商业化。由于这种作物的多年生性质，即一次种植多次收获种子（年），在深秋放牧收获后的再生将为牛肉生产商提供额外的竞争力，通过提供经济作物和高质量动物饲料生产的新潜力，相继在同一面积的土地上生产。此外，利用牛将植物生物量循环转化为未来生长所需的营养物质，可以为有机和传统粮食生产者提供既经济又环保的选择，以维持多年生作物生产。与一年生谷物相比，IWG在碳捕获方面具有很高的水利用效率。多年生谷物为野生动物，特别是水禽提供筑巢栖息地的潜力将进行评估，因为它们涉及有限的土壤干扰（耕作）和早春生长。秋季再生主要是叶状的，当通常用于长时间放牧的饲料质量较低时，为肉牛提供高营养饲料。将牛在牧场上饲养到一年中较晚的时候，可以降低饲养成本，减轻粪便的清除和分配。该项目旨在确定单产多年生谷物和与多年生豆科作物结合生产多年生谷物的经济和环境效益，以及放牧收获后的再生作物对牛肉生产者和粮食生产者的附加效益。通过多学科合作，该项目将调查秋末放牧对谷物和肉牛作物的农艺、环境和经济价值。这将包括用水、温室气体减排、生境发展和这些做法对生物多样性的影响。预期的结果包括：人工放牧对牛肉数量和质量的有益影响，通过放牧减少用于人工放牧谷物生产的营养投入，增强生物多样性，改善环境和鼓励野生动物。支持合作伙伴包括商品团体（马尼托巴牛肉生产商）、行业组织（加拿大鸭子无限）和政府（马尼托巴牛肉和饲料倡议），他们将参与许多能力，包括参与项目测量、数据分析和通过综合技术转让战略向最终用户传播数据。培养高素质人才将是该项目的核心，整个研究团队和支持合作伙伴都将参与其中。

Perennial grains, especially domesticated intermediate wheatgrass (IWG), are approaching commercialization as food crops. Due to the perennial nature of this crop i.e. multiple seed harvest (years) off of a single planting, grazing of post-harvest regrowth in the late fall would provide added competitiveness to beef producers, by offering the novel potential for a cash crop and high quality animal feed production sequentially off the same area of land. In addition, using cattle to recycle plant biomass into much needed nutrients for future growth could provide both organic and conventional grain producers with both economic and environmental options to sustain perennial crop production. IWG has been shown to have a high water-use efficiency rate with respect to carbon capture when compared to annual grains. The potential for perennial grains to provide nesting habitat for wildlife, especially waterfowl will be assessed as they involve limited soil disturbance (tillage) and early spring growth. Fall regrowth is predominantly leafy, providing highly nutritious feed for beef cattle when forages typically used for extended grazing are low quality. Maintaining cattle on pasture later into the year reduces costs of feeding and mitigates manure removal and distribution. This project aims to identify economic and environmental benefits of producing perennial grains, both on its own and in conjunction with a perennial legume, and the added benefits of grazing the post-harvest regrowth to both beef producer and grain producers. Through a multidisciplinary, collaborative effort this project will investigate the agronomic, environmental and economic value of late fall grazing of IWG on both the grain and beef cattle crops. This will include water use, greenhouse gas mitigation, habitat development and biodiversity impacts of these practices. Anticipated outcomes include beneficial impacts of IWG grazing on beef quantity and quality, reduced nutritional inputs via grazing for IWG grain production, enhanced biodiversity, environmental improvements and wildlife encouragement. Supporting partners include commodity groups (Manitoba Beef Producers), industry organizations (Ducks Unlimited Canada) and government (Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiative) who will be involved in a number of capacities including involvement in project measurements, data analysis and through integrated tech transfer strategies for data dissemination to the end users. Training of highly qualified personnel will be core to the project with involvement across the breadth of the research team and supporting partners.