June 8, 2006

Central Grasslands Center Celebrates 25th Anniversary

North Dakota State University’s Central Grasslands Research Extension Center near Streeter is celebrating its 25th anniversary June 28 with its annual field day events and a birding tour, groundbreaking ceremony and community supper.

“This year’s field day will be a special celebration,” says Paul Nyren, center director. “In addition to our 25th anniversary celebration, the center will be unveiling the architect’s drawings for the addition to the center’s office building, and recognizing past and current supporters.”

Here is the schedule of events for the day:

• 6 to 9 a.m. – Nature walk and birding tour, which will focus on flora and fauna around the Lake George National Wildlife Refuge
• 1 p.m. - Welcome to the annual field day from Nyren
• 1:10 p.m. – Update on North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station activities from Ken Grafton, Experiment Station director and dean of the NDSU College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources
• 1:30 to 6 p.m. – Range riding and tractor wagon tours to showcase current and past research projects at the center
• 6 p.m. – Groundbreaking ceremony for the center’s office addition
• 7 p.m. – Free community roast beef supper at the Streeter Memorial Hall

Topics for the range riding and tractor wagon tours are rangeland health, finishing calves on grass, switchgrass for ethanol, a carbon credits program, swath grazing, carbon sequestration and exchange, grazing intensity, and the geologic and natural history of the Missouri Coteau region, where the center is located. The coteau has rolling, grassy hills, rocky soils, wetlands and lakes, and is best suited to producing the perennial forages important to North Dakota livestock producers.

“To commemorate 25 years of public service, we have developed a booklet that lists the different studies conducted at the center,” Nyren says. “During that time, more than 100 research trials covering a variety of subjects were completed by researchers from the center, the NDSU Main Station in Fargo, and other state and federal agencies.”

Copies of the publication will be distributed during the field day.

The center has five main goals:

• Increase the grazing capacity of native range while preserving the range for future generations
• Discover how to stabilize grass production in a dryland region where the vagaries of weather have a large impact on forage production
• Identify the impact of different grazing management systems on calf scours and other diseases
• Explore the use of crop residues and byproducts as feed for cattle
• Demonstrate range management techniques

Future work at the center includes studies on carbon sequestration, nature-based tourism, ethanol production, development of a model farm for viewing and public instruction, and niche marketing.

The center also plans to continue its international scholars program, which helps attract top-notch students from other countries and fosters the exchange of information. The program is in its third year.

The center is four miles north of Streeter or 11 miles south of Interstate 94 on North Dakota Highway 30.

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Source: Paul Nyren, (701) 424-3606, p.nyren@ndsu.edu
Editor: Ellen Crawford, (701) 231-5391, ellen.crawford@ndsu.edu

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