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About Us
County Impact Statements - Benton County
4-H Forage Project: Connects with Youth, Adults and Livestock
Benton County has a history of teaching 4-H members the importance of
selecting, feeding, grooming, showing and marketing livestock. Unfortunately,
many project youth who continue an affiliation with livestock into adulthood
have limited knowledge about producing the forage necessary to achieve success.
Jimmie and Rhonda Jarvis, leaders in the Gravette Gleamers 4-H Club, had a
different plan for their son Jeris who, at 15, has achieved success in the show
ring and has a long-term interest in livestock production. Working with the
Benton County Extension Service, the Jarvis family initiated 4-H forage projects
to fit their on-going livestock projects in a "learn-as-we-go" approach.
Jeris’ forage project included work in: variety selection; soil fertility;
establishment practices; weed control; fertilization; livestock grazing; hay
harvesting; hay sampling, and; competing in the county "Quality Forage" project.
Bermudagrass was established on a total of 5 acres using minimum and
conventional tillage establishment practices with the Midland-99 and Wrangler
varieties. In addition, 8 varieties were established as plots in a 2,500 square
foot area to be utilized as a demonstration site with their local 4-H club.
As a result of their effort, the Quality Forage project committee awarded
Jimmie and Jeris the "Rookie of the Year" Award for their work which served to
benefit other producers as well. Danny Alsup, two-time Quality Forage Project
"Grower of the Year" recipient noted, "the Jarvis’ Midland-99 project is the
best new field of bermuda that I have ever seen!"
His 4-H Project helped Jeris Jarvis recognize the importance
which forage production plays in achieving long-term goals in
livestock production.
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Impacts
- One club presentation, one project field Tour and one slide presentation
taught over 185 4-H youth, parents, leaders and producers forage variety and
management facts.
- This project served to refine minimum-til establishment practices for
commercial adaptation.
- Grid sampling was utilized to refine soil fertility conditions to match
forage production goals.
- Forage sampling was utilized to match production results with livestock
nutrition requirements.
- Variety performance documented traits useful for 4-H youth and
commercial producers.
- Harvested forage achieved values of: CP-17%; TDN-63% and an RFV
(relative feed score) of 92 placing in the Top 20 of all Quality Forage
entries.
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