article on this research in Agricultural Research. Research Aims
To Help Ranchers By Kathryn Barry November 6, 2000 The annual
weed called Japanese brome can make up 40 percent of the spring
forage available for livestock in the Northern Great Plains. But
studies show it can provide adequate nutrition for only a short
window. Agricultural Research Service scientists in Miles City,
Mont., have found that if ranchers graze animals on brome-
infested pastures too early and stay too long, they can hinder
development of perennial grasses. These grasses form the
mainstay of livestock nutrition for the rest of the spring and
summer. The scientists are helping ranchers use the weed without
depleting native grasses. The tricky part is predicting the
amount of forage likely to be produced during any year.
Sometimes, annual brome grasses produce 600 pounds of forage per
acre, while in other years, they provide only 20 pounds. The
scientists are measuring soil water, nitrogen and precipitation
to determine what factors dr