Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Alfalfa response to simulated short duration grazing(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1990) Townsend, Michael ShaunItem An economic analysis of nitrogen fertilization of livestock pastureland in a semi-arid region(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1971) Linse, Frederick VincentItem Browse condition and trend on Montana ungulate ranges(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2002) Thompson, Scott KarlItem A survey of soil properties on five ranches practicing intensive time-controlled grazing in south central Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1998) Heyneman, John MelvilleItem A comparison of line intercept, inferred point contact, and weight measurement methods on foothill grassland vegetation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1961) Fisser, Herbert G.Item Financial aspects of investment in livestock and pastures on irrigated farms(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1953) Reichel, JohnItem The economics of pasture integration on irrigated farms(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1952) Jensen, Clarence W.Item Using holistic management steps towards improving soil and vegetation quality and family resiliency in Mongolia(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2014) Dovchin, Badamgarav; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Cliff MontagneMongolian herders are still practicing traditional nomadic pastoralism as their main source of life. In the last 100 years Mongolians have been experiencing dramatic political and economic change. The democratic revolution in 1990 let the herders own herds, but not the pasture. Livestock numbers increased from 25 to 47 million within last 20 years, all grazing on common land. Due to climatic and grazing practice changes and socio-economic issues, more than 70% of Mongolian pasture has been classified as degraded (UNDP, 2012). Since land privatization is not suitable for the traditional herding system, Mongolians are searching for solutions for pasture degradation by attempting to define the optimum-stocking rate for sustainable pasture use. The objectives of this study are to assess the Holistic Management (HM) application at family level decision-making and compare soil and vegetation quality at high and low stocking rate pastures. Application of HM allows us to integrate both traditional and scientific knowledge of pasture to help improve the pasture management decision-making by effectively addressing the pasture degradation within its whole socio-economic and ecological scenario. This project included learning about one family's decision-making process to document it as a pre-HM application, conducting HM workshops with the family, documenting their new decision-making processes, and with the study team and participant family to build the Resource Base Profile (RBP). After 6 months we compared the major changes and implementations of HM application, revised the RBP, and compared the two RBPs to assess changes. We sampled soil and vegetation at the herder's pastures of high and low stocking rate at the peak of growing season (July). We then compared those characteristics with the soil and vegetation quality that they prefer at their pastures. The two pastures differed significantly for both soil and vegetation parameters depending on the slope and aspect of the sampling point. In conclusion, for the study families, higher stocking rate has negative effects on pasture quality and it is contributing to pasture degradation in Mongolia. Herders using HM decision-making process and learning to assess soil and vegetation quality on their pastures are changing their pasture management decisions more sustainably.Item Comparison of three remote sensing techniques to measure biomass on CRP pastureland(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2013) Porter, Tucker Fredrick; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Bok SowellBiomass from land enrolled into CRP is being considered as a biofuel feedstock source. For sustainable production, harvesting, and soil protection, technology is needed that can quickly, accurately and non-destructively measure biomass. Remote sensing of vegetation spectral responses, which tend to be highly responsive to changes in biomass, may provide a means for inexpensive, frequent, and non-destructive measurements of biomass at management relevant scales. A valuable resource for land managers would be a biomass measurement model that could non-destructively measure biomass at different phenological growth stages across multiple growing seasons. The objective of this study was to compare remote sensing-based biomass measurement models using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and bandwise regression remote sensing techniques to determine which model best measures biomass at different phenological growth stages over multiple growing seasons on CRP pastureland in central Montana. Biomass and plant spectral response measurements were collected over the 2011 (n = 108) and 2012 (n = 108) growing seasons on an 8.1 ha CRP pasture. Measurements were stratified by phenological growth stage and growing season. Half of the data was used to build each measurement model and the other half was used to test the power of each model to measure biomass. Remote sensing-based biomass measurement models were constructed using NDVI measurements from an active ground-based sensor, NDVI measurements from Landsat images, and band combination measurements from Landsat images. All biomass measurement models showed no difference between actual and estimated biomass values (p-value > 0.05). The biomass measurement model using NDVI measurements from Landsat images had the smallest margin of difference between estimated biomass and actual biomass (22 kg/ha + or - 96 kg/ha), followed by the combination of individual spectral bands from Landsat images (128 kg/ha + or - 71 kg/ha), and NDVI measurements from a ground based sensor (182 kg/ha + or - 94 kg/ha). Results indicate remote sensing-based biomass measurement models are accurate at measuring biomass at different phenological growth stages across multiple growing seasons. Land managers can implement remote sensing-based biomass measurement models into their land management strategies to quickly, accurately, and non-destructively measure biomass across a landscape.Item An economic study on the optimum input mix for irrigated pastures(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1969) Turner, Aldon Allen, 1945-; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Richard J. McConnen.The purpose of this study was to maximize the returns to labor and fixed assets from feeder steers utilizing forage produced on irrigated orchardgrass pasture. A linear programming model was designed to analyze the economic alternatives of various application rates of irrigation water and nitrogen on the irrigated pasture. Irrigation water and nitrogen were not limited and were constrained only by their respective costs. Later, the quantities of irrigation water, nitrogen, and capital were sequentially varied and the effect on the returns noted. A model was also developed which analyzed the effect on returns to labor and fixed assets when marginal cost of water was varied from $4 per acre foot to $0 per acre foot of water. The results of this study indicate that as the marginal cost of irrigation water goes to zero, the optimal application rate of irrigation water approaches a rate which keeps the soil at field moisture capacity at all time. As the marginal cost of irrigation water increased above about $1.50 per acre foot, the optimal application rate of irrigation water approached that application rate which just keeps the soil moisture above the wilting point for orchardgrass; approximately one-third the amount of water used when the marginal cost approached zero. The optimal application of nitrogen was a direct function of the amount of water used, as the amount of water varied, the amount of nitrogen varied in about a 1:1 relationship. In general, the returns to labor and fixed assets were adversely affected more by rates of nitrogen which were in excess to the optimal amount than by application rates which were less than the optimal amount.