b'PARTNER CONTENTThe new and notable of pasture cropsW ith springs planting season already top-of-mind forinsects, due at least in part to much higher natural predation on many forage producers, we sat down with Gord Pearse,insect populations. Meanwhile, mixed stands promote healthier general manager of Bruce Seed Farm, to talk aboutpollinator populations. whats new and notable in pasture crops. SW: Is the trend towards diversity coming from policy makers or SW: What are the biggest trends in forage planting?farmers?GP: The biggest change in native pasture forage production is defi- GP: A bit of both, Id say. In some placesNebraska and the nitely diversity. Dryland producers used to have a crested wheatDakotas, for example, federal funding for conservation planting is grass or bust mentality. Thats not the case anymore, which is acontingent on planting highly varied mixtures. However, the con-very good thing both for productivity and conservation. cept is catching on in general. Even in states where diversity isnt Another rapidly growing trend in forage production is plantingmandated, many producers are choosing to plant varied stands. usage-specific stands. Increasingly, cattle producers are focus- Were also seeing more recognition of the role native flowering ing on extending their grazing season. By tailoring specific seedcrops play in promoting pollinators.blends to specific fields, producers can optimize forage available for each stage in their rotational grazing plan: early season-cropsSW: So, should forage producers move entirely away from mono-into early grazed fields; swath-grazable or bankable crops thatculture? hold their feed value into later grazed fields. In some cases, theyreGP: Not at all. Theres definitely still room in agricultureand planting mixes that produce early for a first grazing, then eithernecessity formonocultured forage crops too. In our valley here grow back vigorously or produce a secondary set of species forin southern Montana, for example, farmers produce alfalfa hay haying or late grazing.with relative feed values as good as hay produced anywhere in And, Im happy to see cover crops being used more and more.the world.Its important for those producers to be able to manage Roots in the ground 12 months of the year is a major first step totheir fields as a monocultured rotation crop for optimum quality soil health.assurance. SW: Why the trend towards planting a mixed stand? SW: Whats new in forage genetics?GP: The trend towards diversity is based on an improving under- GP: Many of todays forages offer significant genetic improvement standing of both the art and science of forage production. Weveover older varieties, especially relating to greater biomass and learned a lot, even in just the last decade, about how diversitybetter disease resistance. However, theres also a role for varieties promotes productivity. that have proven the test of time. Some dryland alfalfa variet-Planting different species means the total plant population willies are 40, 50, 60-year-old genetics; some stands that are very old thrive, with different species excelling in different soil conditions,are still productive. Thats a good thing: building soils over the at different times throughout the growing season, and under vari- long-term is the most sustainable and natural production strategy able moisture, salinity and soil texture conditions.around. Weve known for some time that mixed stands tend to be lessToo, the newest in forage genetics is actually the oldest: prone to disease and more able to compete against weeds. Now,theres more and more interest in planting in regionally specific, were seeing that diversity is also positive regarding insects.native species that are only now available as commercial seed. Im Interestingly, German researchers just published findings from aexcited by how many of these kinds of varieties we can now access study conducted in both the U.S. and Germany that shows greaterfor producers. planting diversity leads to 44% less impact from herbivorous FEBRUARY 2021SEEDWORLD.COM /39'