Course Information for CS 312

Grassland Management for Natural Resource Conservation and Animal Feed

Communications

Lecture Summary Schedule

Silage Jars

Plant Photo Identification

Plant Collection

Opinion Article

Letter to Extension or NRCS agent

Farm Plan

Reference Documents

Assignments and Quizzes

Communications:

Person	Email
Dr. Jim Green	Jim_green@ncsu.edu
Sarah Morgan	sarah@morganconnect.com
Abigail Capps	abcapps@unity.ncsu.edu
Chris Pridgen	capridge@unity.ncsu.edu
David Tunnell	dgtunnel@unity.ncsu.edu
Drew Vaughn	ajvaughn@unity.ncsu.edu
James Conley	Jaconle2@unity.ncsu.edu
Jason Farmer	jrfarmer@unity.ncsu.edu
Jessica Bridgers	Jebridg2@unity.ncsu.edu
Joni Williamson	Jrwilli6@ncsu.edu
Kyle Scott	wkscott@unity.ncsu.edu
Lindsay Driver	lbdriver@unity.ncsu.edu
Lloyd Winslow	lnwinslo@unity.ncsu.edu
Mason Lawrence	mclawren@unity.ncsu.edu
Renee White	uwhite@nc.rr.com
Stacy Sink	sasink@unity.ncsu.edu
Tim Flinchum	tmflinch@unity.ncsu.edu
Wes Cranford	cwcranfo@unity.ncsu.edu

Lecture Summary Schedule:

Date of Topic	Date of Presentation	Student Responsible
29-Aug	12-Sept	Wes Cranford
6-Sept	12-Sept	Chris Pridgen
12-Sept	19-Sept	Joni Williamson
13-Sept	19-Sept	Tim Flinchum
19-Sept	26-Sept	Stacy Sink
26-Sept	3-Oct	David Tunnell
3-Oct	10-Oct	Lindsay Driver
10-Oct	17-Oct	Jessica Bridgers
11-Oct	18-Oct	Jason Farmer
17-Oct	24-Oct	Renee White
24-Oct	31-Oct	Mason Lawrence
31-Oct	7-Nov	Drew Vaughn
7-Nov	14-Nov	Kyle Scott
14-Nov	21-Nov	Lloyd Winslow
21-Nov	28-Nov	James Conley
28-Nov	29-Nov	Abigail Capps

SILAGE JARS DUE October 11

Name	Make two jars of silage
Abigail Capps	Alfalfa Direct cut alone and with sugar
James Conley	Bermuda Direct cut alone and with sugar
Jason Farmer	Crabgrass Direct cut alone and with sugar
Jessica Bridgers	Fescue Direct cut alone and with sugar
Lindsay Driver	Orchardgrass Direct cut alone and with sugar
Mason Lawrence	Peanut Direct cut alone and with sugar
Wes Cranford	Switchgrass: direct cut alone and with sugar
Time Flinchum	Switchgrass Direct cut alone and with sugar
Chris Pridgen	Alfalfa, wilted alone and with sugar
Kyle Scott	Bermuda wilted alone and with sugar
Stacy Sink	Crabgrass wilted alone and with sugar
David Tunnell	Fescue wilted alone and with sugar
Drew Vaughn	Orchardgrass wilted alone and with sugar
Renee White	Peanut wilted alone and with sugar
Joni Williamson	Soybean wilted cut alone and with sugar
Lloyd Winslow	Switchgrass wilted alone and with sugar

Making Silage

Objective:

To gain experience in making silage.
To challenge students to determine how to make good silage.
To better understand the silage making process.

Introduction:

Silage is the result of partial fermentation of a crop containing high moisture. It can be a valuable tool in balancing out a yearly feed budget to take advantage of high forage production months. In more temperate countries, silage is seen as “insurance” in case of mismanagement, drought or other environmental factors that adversely affect forage production. Whether you want to make your own silage or purchase it, it is important to know how good silage is made and how to evaluate its quality. In this exercise we will prepare silages in mason jars using four different methods and several different forages.

Terms:

Direct Forage is ensiled immediately after it is cut

Direct & Sugar Forage is ensiled immediately after it is cut and an additive such as sugar or honey is added

Wilt Forage is cut but allowed to wilt before ensiling. This decreases the amount of water that the plants will contain at the time of ensiling. Wilted plants contain between 60 and 70% moisture.

Wilt & Sugar Forage is allowed to wilt before ensiling and an additive such as s sugar or honey is added.

In order to make the best silage possible you need to consider several factors:

Moisture content at the time of ensiling. When silage is too wet it has a high pH and oxygen is present. Undesirable bacteria multiply and produce butyric acid and nitrogen compounds, which reduce the quality (and produce a horrible smell). When forages are too wet at the time of ensiling, additives can be added to improve quality. Ideal moisture content of a forage at the time of ensiling is between 60 and 70%. Use the grab method to estimate moisture content during lab (p 144, Production and Utilization of Pastures and Forages in NC)
Size of chop. Ideal chop size is ¼ to ¾ inch with crisp, sharp edges. This allows for easier packing and higher density.
Density of silo. Less air speeds up the fermentation process and results in higher quality silage. Pack it tight and fast! Density is measured as grams of wet forage/cm³.

Methods:

Obtain a jar and lid. Choose a forage species to ensile (if not assigned a species). Label your jar with the Date, Your Name, Forage Composition (stage of growth and % of target species).

Example:

Sarah Morgan

Ensiled September 1, 2005

50% direct cut Fescue / 50% direct cut Orchardgrass

Boot stage

Cut your forage species according to the size of chop you wish to ensile.

If you are adding an additive, mix a tablespoon of honey or sugar prior to ensiling in the jar to ensure a uniform distribution of the additive

Question??? – What purpose does the additive have?

Pack the forage down in the jar using the available tools to achieve the desired density. Try to leave as little space between the jar lid and forage level as possible. Start you packing at the bottom and pack it as you go up versus filling the jar and then packing.

Seal the jar but not completely. If the jar is sealed too tightly in the first couple days it could explode. Jars can be stored in the lab or at you homes and will be ready in 2 months.

Answer the discussion questions.

Discussion:

How much grass did you use? Estimate approximate lbs.

What length did you chop it? How did that affect your ability to pack the silage as tightly as possible.

What was the moisture content of your forage(s) at the time of ensiling?

What happens to forage during the ensiling process? Outline the process in the simplest terms.

Plant Photography and Identification DUE September 26

*** You can make an appointment with Emily Erickson (Emily_Erickson@ncsu.edu) to use their microscopic photography set up to get very up close pictures of the collar regions and leaf blades. Her lab is located to the left of mine. There is no cost but try to go in groups of two or three and allow for 15 minutes of instruction and 10-15 minutes per person to get the photographs. Make sure you bring a flash drive or CD to save your images***

Student	Plant Species
Abigail Capps
Chris Pridgen
David Tunnell
Drew Vaughn
James Conley
Jason Farmer
Jessica Bridgers	Seashore Dropseed Sporobolus virginicus
Joni Williamson
Kyle Scott
Lindsay Driver
Lloyd Winslow
Mason Lawrence
Renee White
Stacy Sink
Tim Flinchum
Wes Cranford	Smooth Cordgrass Spartina alterniflora

Plant Photograph and Identification / Description

Objective:

To develop a two-page “Fact Sheet” that can be useful in teaching the characteristics of a specific plant.

To organize the Fact Sheet in such a way that it can be printed in color and or posted on WWW.

To gain experience at photographing a plant for educational and identification purposes.

Methods and Procedures:

Student will be assigned a specific plant to collect, photograph, and characterize in a manner similar to examples on the following websites and/or in the book Weeds of Northeast (available for viewing in 2409 Williams in the student resource section).

There are two methods for obtaining a quality photograph

a) Field Photo with high quality digital camera

· These pictures will be printed at 300 dpi so make sure your camera setting is on large (the highest resolution) and when you submit the file or burn it on your cd it should be at least 1 megabyte (no kilobytes!!!!!).

· Use a black board background and the right angle with the sun behind you but not so that the plant’s shadow is in the photograph

· Photograph the plant immediately after cutting or digging it up

· If you do not have access to a high quality digital camera that meets the resolution requirements then you may check one out from Dr. Green.

b) Digital Microscope

· You can arrange a time with Emily Erickson, Crop Science Lecturer in Room 1105 Williams (emily_erickson@ncsu.edu) to get instruction on using their microscope that can take very high quality close up images of plant regions like the collar region or the leaf blade. Try to go in groups of 2 or 3 and allow for 30-45 minutes. Bring a CD or Flash drive so that you can save your images. You will not receive a printed photograph.

· Plants must be kept moist (positive moisture balance – not wilted) until the moment of photography to ensure that plant structures are in their natural state (especially the hairs on the leaf stem and ligule – this will change in a matte of hours after digging the plant up). Dig up the plant with the roots and put it in a bucket with water immediately. Keep plant cool and if possible dig the plant up the same day you plan to photograph. If you need to keep plant overnight then make sure you keep it damp and provide sunlight. You can also use our greenhouse table to store plants that you may only be able to find at home.

· Collect several plants that can be taken to studio for photographing.

What you should photograph

· The plant in its natural habitat (or where you found it).

· The collar region

· Any area of the plant that is useful for its identification. This may include inflorescence, leaf edges, back vs. top side of leaf, lower stem, leaf tip, leaf arrangement, etc.

· You should have at least 3 photographs and preferably 4 or 5

Information Sheet

· You should prepare in information sheet to go along with your photograph. Follow the guidelines in your Plant Collection handout for creating an information sheet. Fill in all the information you can and ask for help on the rest. We understand that some of these plants may be a bit obscure and you will need some guidance.

· Use the internet

· You can create your info sheet well before you photograph the plant

Format for Submission

· All photographs should be submitted on a CD in .tiff format. If .tiff format is not possible then .jiff is acceptable but .jpeg is NOT acceptable because it does not have a high enough quality for publication in a book or on the internet.

· The CD should also contain a document in Microsoft Word that has the information on the plant. It should follow the same format as the example provided in the plant collection handout.

OTHER INFORMATION:

This is a required assignment that will provide up 5% of final grade. This assignment offers the opportunity for each student to do a project that can be useful to others in teaching and training programs. You will be credited as the author of any materials used in future published materials.

As an additional incentive to doing a good job, a $20 prize will be awarded for the best submission. The following will assist in evaluating the assignment: Dr Ozzie Abaye, Associate Professor at VA Tech, and Dr. Ed Rayburn, Professor at West VA Univ. You can also contact these folks for assistance in your info sheets. Please identify yourself as a member of Dr. Jim Green’s CS 312 class in your email.

PLANT COLLECTION DUE October 31

The Plant Collection is one of the most challenging assignments of the semester. It requires planning and forethought because living plant tissue doesn’t always dry overnight and any moisture in a plant sample will cause mold and fungus to grow. It requires research both for identification and agronomic uses. It requires lots of time outside of class but you can get a surprising amount done during lab if you are a little big organized.

You are allowed to work in groups but each person must turn in their own collection. You are allowed to cite people as resources – as long as you credit them. You can even use samples obtained by your friends – as long as you credit them. The goal of the project is for you to have a useful resource that includes common plant species in NC and their agronomic uses and management tips. If you are thinking of a career in extension, you will get questions EVERY DAY about what to do with X forage, how much can be sprayed on Y forage, etc. If you choose a career in animal nutrition or veterinary medicine, you may face cases of sickness due to improperly managed forages or poisonous plants. If you choose to farm your own land, you will likely encounter a variety of forage plants and ask yourself “Can my cows eat this?”, “Can I spray effluent on this?”, What can I spray to get rid of this?”. In order to get a good grade in this class, YOU MUST submit a good plant collection.

Learning Objective:

Upon the completion of this project the student will be able to…

§ Identify common forage species of grasses, legumes and forbs found in North Carolina

§ Describe the growth and identification characteristics of forage species

§ Prepare a plant specimen for display

§ Create a professional identification manual for future instruction and reference

§ Locate useful agronomic information about plant species grown for forage and conservation

§ Not have to stress about the plant collection for the rest of the semester

Your plant collection will include the following:

1. 7 forage legumes (See last page for required species)

2. 25 grasses used for forage or conservation

3. 7 common pasture forbs

4. 1 Rush

5. 1 Sedge

6. Detailed table of contents

7. Methodology

8. Index of Resources

Supplies you will need:

1. Notebook - 3 ring binder, photo album or other professional binder; no rainbow colors or busy designs

2. Mounting paper - refer to demonstration or photo album sheets

3. Heavy books

4. Labels / typed ID sheets

5. Resources for plant identification

6. Computer or typewriter access

Resources available to you:

1. Plant press (telephone books)

2. Library (both University and Room 2409)

3. People (TA, Professors, Extension Agents, Students)

4. Computer labs

PLANT SAMPLES

Each plant sample must illustrate the following information:

1. Reproductive structure (inflorescence)

2. Collar region

3. Leaf blade (including tip, front and back views)

4. Stem (to see flat v. rolled)

5. Root system ** (if you used this as an ID characteristic then make sure the roots are washed)

** Optional - include as extra credit or if you used the root system to identify the species.

REMEMBER THE GOAL - This is an identification manual for you to use all semester and pass on to your children. As you collect and prepare plants ask yourself if you could identify a similar or related species based on your presentation.

INFORMATION SHEET

For each plant sample include the following information on a page entitled "Information Sheet".

1. Common name

2. Scientific name (Genus species) - correct spelling is essential

3. Life cycle

4. Season of primary growth

5. Planting rate and optimum date

6. Primary way of propagation

7. Primary storage organ

8. Does it fix nitrogen?

9. ID characteristics - how would you tell someone to ID this in the field - make sure it corresponds with what you have displayed on the sheet. If the ligule is the primary method of ID then make sure it can be seen.

10. Location collected - BE SPECIFIC - This should include city, county, state and environment that you collected it in. Example: Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina ; around a water tank at the NSCU Dairy Farm.

11. Common habitat and soil type best adapted (including the habitat that you found the specimen in)

12. Common pests and/or pathogens (remember this may be different depending on habitat, if your specimen has leaf rust on it, you should likely mention some information about it)

13. Animal Nutrition Value (crude protein and TDN; distinguish between grass and hay or silage)

14. RYE value (Realistic Yield Expectation)

** 13 and 14 are considered under the USES section of the grading key

15. Source - any reference (person or book) you used to obtain information should be listed and linked to your resources page

16. Date collected

This page should include the exact page number of each species in your collection and the accompanying identification sheet. Please present the plants in the same order as shown on the attached list.

It should also be typed.

METHODOLOGY

Describe how you prepared your collection. Include the following:

§ How you collected the plants in the field

§ How you dried and prepared the plants for presentation

§ Sources you found to be the MOST helpful in completing the "Information Sheets".

§ Biggest challenges you faced and how you resolved them

§ Plant specimen you are most proud of, least proud of and what criteria you used to make these judgments.

§ Average time you spent on your collection (hours)

§ Advice you would give the next class

§ Grade you feel you deserve (A, B C, D, F +/-)

§ How would you revise this assignment for the next class

DON’T OVERLOOK THIS SECTION – It is likely the most interesting part to the graders and allows you a chance to explain anything you feel is lacking in your collection.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Goal: To provide you with a quick list of resources for locating information about the plants. It should include:

§ Every resource used to identify and complete the "Information Sheet".

§ Any person used to help will need to sign their name on this page.

For example: Plant Specimen #1) Resource: Dr. Jim Green _______________________

§ Keep in mind that an index is often a full description for an abbreviated notation. Therefore, under your "Source" listing (#13) in the individual plant information sheets, you can list a number that corresponds to a complete listing in your bibliography. For example, the reference for your bermudagrass sample may be "#1" and in your bibliography "#1" will correspond to a book, fact sheet, or person.

HELPFUL HINTS

1. Don't wait until the last minute! It takes several days (maybe more than 7 days) to dry and press a plant sample, so putting your project together the night before will be obvious and unacceptable.

2. Press your sample the way you want it presented in the collection. That means cleaning it up and bending the blades the way you want them to illustrate the characteristics you used to ID them.

3. All plant samples should be identifiable in the presentation. If you can't tell what they are at mounting time then we won't be able to tell after several weeks. Fragments of plants will not be considered satisfactory.

4. Dirt in a plant sample is NOT accepted. Wash and dry the root system before you press them.

5. Mold in a plant sample is NOT accepted and indicates that the sample was not dried properly.

6. Handwritten labels are NOT accepted. This is a professional manual that will be used for years.