Big Bluestem Pasture in the Great Plains: An Alternative for Dryland Corn

Big bluestem pasture can earn more than twice as much per acre as dryland corn. Corn production and perennial grass pastures provide the foundation for the agricultural industry in the central and eastern Great Plains. Typically, many producers grow both corn and perennial grass pastures to meet livestock feed demands and to diversify the operation. For example, corn was produced on more than 37% of the total cropland, and perennial pasture comprised 49% of the land in farms in Nebraska.1 Corn was produced on an average of 7.8 million acres in Nebraska from 2000 to 2002, with 40% being dryland (nonirrigated) corn.2 Producers seek the best long-term economic and sustainable use of cropland. The need for flexibility in the agricultural operation, long-term familiarity with a specific crop rotation, expenses associated with equipment alteration, and the uncertainty of alternative markets make it difficult for producers to implement new management practices. Perennial grasses, such as big bluestem, provide an alternative use for nonirrigated cropland in the Great Plains. Producers have little economic information available, however, to decide whether or not to convert cropland to perennial pasture. Producers need information on the economic opportunities for alternative, sustainable uses of nonirrigated cropland in diversified agricultural operations. The economic returns of dryland corn and beef production on big bluestem pastures in the eastern Great Plains are compared using production information from field trials