ABSTRACT
Summary The economic and biological feasibility of a black walnut-livestock-grazing multicropping-management regime has been evaluated for comparison with a similar livestock-management regime conducted in the open. Pure tall fescue plots were established under open and black walnut-shade conditions. Forage yields on a dry-weight basis were estimated for a 3-year period. A concurrent grazing trial was conducted on similar sites using 1.2-ha plots. Black walnut seedlings were planted within the plots on a 3 x 12-m spacing and protected from grazing animals by electric fencing. The economic analyses of the alternate grazing systems were based on their respective present net worth and internal rates of return over a 60-year rotation. The black walnut-livestock-grazing system yielded over 6-fold greater present net worth than the comparable system in the open. Tall fescue production under the canopy provided by black walnut trees was approximately one-third greater than in the open and was accompanied by an 11% increase in digestibility of spring-grown grass.
