Fillable Pasture Inventory Worksheet (Fillable) (Page 2 of 4) in pdf

4-103

MT−ECS–116

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

EXHIBIT MT

NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE

4/2006

PASTURE INVENTORY WORKSHEET INSTRUCTIONS

A. Enter producer name, field number, acres, field office, assisted by, and date.

B. List the soil map unit(s) for the field to be inventoried.

C. List the predominant Forage Suitability Group name (where developed).

D. List the desired key species the producer plans to manage for (generally two to three species).

E. List the producer’s major objectives for pasture management and improvement. If species composition change is a main

objective, list the plant community that is desired to be achieved.

F. Check whether the field is irrigated or dryland. The field should be considered irrigated if it receives any type of supplemental

moisture.

G. Enter the age of the stand in years.

H. Enter a short description of the current grazing system or plan.

I. Enter the current nutrient management that is being applied to the field. Enter nutrients in pounds per acre per year.

J. Check whether or not soil compaction is evident.

K. Check the predominant grazing season of use. If more than one, check all that apply.

L. Enter the potential yield for the field based on soils, and annual precipitation. Reference Soil Survey Manuscripts, Pasture

Yield Tables, Soil Data Mart. Use Forage Suitability Group (FSG) yield tables where developed.

M. Enter the current yield for the pasture by total annual production, dry weight, in pounds per acre. Check whether data is

measured production data or estimated from experience. Production sampling should be done based on National Range and

Pasture Handbook (NRPH), Section 4, pages 4-2 to 4-8, Methods of Determining Production and Composition. Sampling

should be done within the predominant plant community. Do not count any of the decadent material from previous year’s

growth.

If the plant community and production are uniform throughout the field, three clipped plots are adequate.

production in the field is not uniform, sample in areas of both high and low production, and average the data.

N. Calculate the percent of potential yield by dividing the current yield by the potential yield.

O. List the common name for all plant species currently in the pasture.

P. Estimate or measure the percent composition by weight for each individual species in the pasture. The total composition

must equal 100%.

Q. Compute the total annual production (lbs/acre) for each individual species by multiplying the current yield by the percent

composition for that species.

: 1,500 lbs. total production x 20% composition for Timothy equals 300-lbs. total

EXAMPLE

production for Timothy. This information will be used to determine the appropriate stocking rate.

R. Mark an "X" in each column for the plant species that are considered desirable forage plants for the animals to be managed

for. This information will help determine the percent of the pasture that is composed of desirable forage.

S. To complete the % Preferred or Desirable Forage column, carry over the percent composition number for each species

marked with an "X". Total this column to determine the percent of the plant community that is desirable forage.

T. Check the appropriate Plant Vigor rating (High, Medium, Low) for the current vigor of key forage species. Vigor can be

determined by examining the size, productivity and color of plants in relation to site growing conditions. Plants may have low

vigor due to poor soil fertility, severity of grazing use, climatic or moisture stress, and insect or disease pressures. Reference

Guide to Pasture Condition Scoring, GLTI Supplemental Publication, Montana NRPH Supplement MT3, for a detailed

narrative on plant vigor. You may also use the guidance footnote under the table which attempts to correlate vigor with total

production.

U. Check the appropriate range for the Yield - % of potential column.

V. Using the total preferred forage percentage, check the appropriate range of percentages the total falls within.

Pasture Inventory Worksheet (Fillable) Page 2

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