The Forage Program

THE FORAGE PROGRAM
Department of Horticulture and Crop Science
The Ohio State University

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THE FORAGE PROGRAM

I. Statement of Purpose

The mission of the forage program is to expand and disseminate knowledge of forage management and utilization through scientific investigation and delivery of integrated information to agricultural clientele, students, consumers, and professional colleagues. The application of this knowledge will benefit society by increasing efficiency of forage-based enterprises and enhance the quality of the environment through the beneficial effects that forages provide to agricultural production systems.

II. Goals

Build and sustain extension and outreach educational programs that provide new and timely information on forage production and utilization directly to producers, agricultural professionals, and the general public. Emphasis is to be placed on training extension field faculty specialization in forage production and utilization and other agricultural professionals who disseminate information to producers and the general public.

Conduct research that is designed to advance our understanding of forage growth and management so as to improve production efficiency and solve emerging problems relevant to our clientele.

Explore, discover, and evaluate methods of improving forage establishment and production under biotic and abiotic stress, with emphasis on minimizing negative impacts of production practices on environmental quality.

Provide teaching and academic opportunities for students and staff to develop a sound knowledge of the basic and applied principles of forage management and utilization.

The forage program at OSU is best described as a multi-disciplinary program spanning several departments. A multi-disciplinary team approach is critical not only to adequately address the challenges and opportunities in the forage-based industry of Ohio, but also to help partially offset the negative impact of declining FTEs devoted to forages in the college. Historically, the former Agronomy Department held a critical mass of faculty with expertise in forages. Ten years ago there were 4.0 faculty FTEs devoted to the combined effort in forage research, teaching, and extension. Over the past ten years, this critical mass has been lost, and now only 1.55 faculty FTEs are devoted to the forage program within the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science (R.M. Sulc at 1.0 FTE, P.R. Thomison at 0.15 FTE, and A.L. Barta at 0.1 FTE). Only through strong collaborations with faculty in other departments and other universities is an effective forage program possible.

III. Collaborators

Collaborating faculty who are involved in various aspects of forage management and utilization include:

Animal Sciences: W.P. Weiss (forage nutrition), M.L. Eastridge (nutrition and dairy farm management), S.L. Boyles (beef cattle management), and R.A. High (sheep management).

Entomology: H.R. Willson

Plant pathology: L.H. Rhodes

Veterinary Medicine: W.P. Shulaw

Interdisciplinary Teams

Interdisciplinary extension/research teams have been formed within the last two years which provide opportunities for increased effectiveness in addressing the needs of our clientele in the forage-based industry in Ohio. These teams are beginning to provide the framework for a broad interdisciplinary approach toward research and extension programming. The Integrated Forage Team is comprised of the campus based faculty listed above and a core group of about sixteen field extension faculty. This team is dedicated toward improving the profitability of Ohio farmers through efficient utilization of forages. The field faculty on this team have specialized expertise in various aspects of forage based production systems including: forage production, grazing systems, animal nutrition, and economics. This team provides tremendous impetus to forage extension programming efforts in Ohio, and provides excellent opportunities for collaborative research on applied aspects of forage management and utilization across the state.

The Ohio Dairy Team and the Ohio Beef Team are two other interdisciplinary teams which include faculty expertise in forages. These teams are composed of campus-based and extension field faculty similarly to the Integrated Forage Management Team described above.

Other Universities

The faculty in the forage program recognize the importance of collaborations across state lines. Collaborative research efforts are currently being undertaken with faculty at land grant universities in new York, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and California. Such efforts are likely to increase in the future. Collaborative extension efforts with other midwestern states are also being developed.

IV. Facilities

Current OSU campus facilities available to the forage faculty in Horticulture and Crop Science are generally adequate. One laboratory is dedicated to the program in Kottman Hall, and is equipped for work in whole plant physiology and forage quality. Field research facilities on the Columbus campus are in need of improvement in infrastructure, staffing, and personnel management.

Field and greenhouse research facilities are excellent at Wooster, and are adequate at outlying research branch stations. Support for research work at several outlying stations is excellent, but at EORDC and Southern Branch additional equipment is needed to adequately conduct forage research. There is strong support among advisory community leaders and station personnel at those two facilities to increase forage-related research, but that will not be possible without some modest funding for field research equipment at those sites. Funding is being sought from OARDC to help equipment those two stations for field research in forage production and grazing management.

Teaching and laboratory space is adequate, and is shared with other crops teaching programs.

V. New Positions

Faculty: There is an urgent need for expertise in teaching forage crops courses. With the retirement of Professor P.R. Henderlong, our department lost not only the forage teaching expertise, but also teaching expertise in grain crops. The department urgently needs to fill these vacancies in grain and forage crops teaching. The consequence of much more delay is a loss in our ability to adequately provide undergraduate and graduate teaching in agronomic crop production to our majors and minors from other departments. The position should have a component devoted toward teaching grain and forage crops courses, and a research component devoted to some aspect of forages. Currently only 0.3 FTE is devoted toward forage research, in a state where pasture and hay crops are grown on 3.5 million acres (nearly equal to corn or soybean acreage), and where the forage-based livestock industry accounts for 28% of total net form income.

Staff: The forage program currently has 0.5 FTE of hard-funded technical support (provided by Ohio State University Extension). This should be increased to 1.0 FTE, to provide research support for the new position described above, and to enable one person to be devoted full time to the forage research program year-round. The technical support is especially critical given the heavy extension and teaching commitment of current and future faculty in the forage program. A strong extension and teaching program requires a strong research base, and given the reality of very low faculty FTE devoted to forage research, additional technical support to carry much needed research is critical. An increase in technical support will also benefit extension field faculty who are seeking to conduct applied research in various aspects of forage management and utilization.

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THE FORAGE PROGRAM
I. Statement of Purpose
	The mission of the forage program is to expand and disseminate knowledge of forage management and utilization through scientific investigation and delivery of integrated information to agricultural clientele, students, consumers, and professional colleagues. The application of this knowledge will benefit society by increasing efficiency of forage-based enterprises and enhance the quality of the environment through the beneficial effects that forages provide to agricultural production systems.
II. Goals
	Build and sustain extension and outreach educational programs that provide new and timely information on forage production and utilization directly to producers, agricultural professionals, and the general public. Emphasis is to be placed on training extension field faculty specialization in forage production and utilization and other agricultural professionals who disseminate information to producers and the general public. Conduct research that is designed to advance our understanding of forage growth and management so as to improve production efficiency and solve emerging problems relevant to our clientele. Explore, discover, and evaluate methods of improving forage establishment and production under biotic and abiotic stress, with emphasis on minimizing negative impacts of production practices on environmental quality. Provide teaching and academic opportunities for students and staff to develop a sound knowledge of the basic and applied principles of forage management and utilization. The forage program at OSU is best described as a multi-disciplinary program spanning several departments. A multi-disciplinary team approach is critical not only to adequately address the challenges and opportunities in the forage-based industry of Ohio, but also to help partially offset the negative impact of declining FTEs devoted to forages in the college. Historically, the former Agronomy Department held a critical mass of faculty with expertise in forages. Ten years ago there were 4.0 faculty FTEs devoted to the combined effort in forage research, teaching, and extension. Over the past ten years, this critical mass has been lost, and now only 1.55 faculty FTEs are devoted to the forage program within the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science (R.M. Sulc at 1.0 FTE, P.R. Thomison at 0.15 FTE, and A.L. Barta at 0.1 FTE). Only through strong collaborations with faculty in other departments and other universities is an effective forage program possible.
III. Collaborators
	Collaborating faculty who are involved in various aspects of forage management and utilization include: Animal Sciences: W.P. Weiss (forage nutrition), M.L. Eastridge (nutrition and dairy farm management), S.L. Boyles (beef cattle management), and R.A. High (sheep management). Entomology: H.R. Willson Plant pathology: L.H. Rhodes Veterinary Medicine: W.P. Shulaw Interdisciplinary Teams Interdisciplinary extension/research teams have been formed within the last two years which provide opportunities for increased effectiveness in addressing the needs of our clientele in the forage-based industry in Ohio. These teams are beginning to provide the framework for a broad interdisciplinary approach toward research and extension programming. The Integrated Forage Team is comprised of the campus based faculty listed above and a core group of about sixteen field extension faculty. This team is dedicated toward improving the profitability of Ohio farmers through efficient utilization of forages. The field faculty on this team have specialized expertise in various aspects of forage based production systems including: forage production, grazing systems, animal nutrition, and economics. This team provides tremendous impetus to forage extension programming efforts in Ohio, and provides excellent opportunities for collaborative research on applied aspects of forage management and utilization across the state. The Ohio Dairy Team and the Ohio Beef Team are two other interdisciplinary teams which include faculty expertise in forages. These teams are composed of campus-based and extension field faculty similarly to the Integrated Forage Management Team described above. Other Universities The faculty in the forage program recognize the importance of collaborations across state lines. Collaborative research efforts are currently being undertaken with faculty at land grant universities in new York, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and California. Such efforts are likely to increase in the future. Collaborative extension efforts with other midwestern states are also being developed.
IV. Facilities
	Current OSU campus facilities available to the forage faculty in Horticulture and Crop Science are generally adequate. One laboratory is dedicated to the program in Kottman Hall, and is equipped for work in whole plant physiology and forage quality. Field research facilities on the Columbus campus are in need of improvement in infrastructure, staffing, and personnel management. Field and greenhouse research facilities are excellent at Wooster, and are adequate at outlying research branch stations. Support for research work at several outlying stations is excellent, but at EORDC and Southern Branch additional equipment is needed to adequately conduct forage research. There is strong support among advisory community leaders and station personnel at those two facilities to increase forage-related research, but that will not be possible without some modest funding for field research equipment at those sites. Funding is being sought from OARDC to help equipment those two stations for field research in forage production and grazing management. Teaching and laboratory space is adequate, and is shared with other crops teaching programs.
V. New Positions
	Faculty: There is an urgent need for expertise in teaching forage crops courses. With the retirement of Professor P.R. Henderlong, our department lost not only the forage teaching expertise, but also teaching expertise in grain crops. The department urgently needs to fill these vacancies in grain and forage crops teaching. The consequence of much more delay is a loss in our ability to adequately provide undergraduate and graduate teaching in agronomic crop production to our majors and minors from other departments. The position should have a component devoted toward teaching grain and forage crops courses, and a research component devoted to some aspect of forages. Currently only 0.3 FTE is devoted toward forage research, in a state where pasture and hay crops are grown on 3.5 million acres (nearly equal to corn or soybean acreage), and where the forage-based livestock industry accounts for 28% of total net form income. Staff: The forage program currently has 0.5 FTE of hard-funded technical support (provided by Ohio State University Extension). This should be increased to 1.0 FTE, to provide research support for the new position described above, and to enable one person to be devoted full time to the forage research program year-round. The technical support is especially critical given the heavy extension and teaching commitment of current and future faculty in the forage program. A strong extension and teaching program requires a strong research base, and given the reality of very low faculty FTE devoted to forage research, additional technical support to carry much needed research is critical. An increase in technical support will also benefit extension field faculty who are seeking to conduct applied research in various aspects of forage management and utilization.