Targeted sheep grazing has been proposed as an alternative to conventional cover crop management. This study assessed the use of targeted sheep grazing to terminate a field pea (Pisium sativum) cover crop as part of a rotational winter wheat production system. Rambouillet yearlings grazed the cover crop for 32 days during summer 2013 either in rotational or continuous grazing systems. The effects on cover crop termination, sheep live weight gains, and subsequent winter wheat emergence and yield were quantified. Sheep grazing was compared with tillage and chemical termination methods. Sheep grazing was the most effective termination method using post-treatment plant cover (77% dead pea, 1% live pea, 22% bare ground), then tilled (60% dead pea, 5% live pea, 35% bare ground) and chemically treated (18% dead pea, 73% live pea, 9% bare ground) plots. Cover comparisons among treatments were significantly different (p<0.05) except percent live pea cover between grazing and tillage. Average daily gains (ADGs) did not differ between grazing treatments with sheep exhibiting ADGs of 0.40 lbs day-1 and 0.34 lbs day-1, for rotational and continuous treatments, respectively (p= 0.117). Winter wheat seedling emergence post grazing was higher under the continuous grazing treatment (p = 0.0172). However, there was no difference in wheat yield (p=0.914). Winter wheat yield did not differ between grazed and chemical termination (84.9 bu ac-1 and 85.9 bu ac-1 respectively), but was lower in tilled plots with 74.4 bu ac-1 (p= 0.0144). Results indicate that targeted grazing is a viable method of cover crop termination.Â
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