Would you invest a day and a half and a nominal registration fee to better educate yourself about producing pastures and managing livestock on pasture? How much would it be worth to come home with just one idea that could help improve your return on investment in your livestock business?

Keith Johnson, Purdue University Extension forage specialist, encourages anyone who is serious about pasturing livestock for a profit to consider attending one of two Indiana Grazing School sessions offered in the early days of June. The same program will be offered June 4-5 at the Southern Indiana Purdue Ag Center near Dubois, and on June 10-11 on a farm near Cutler in northern Indiana. The location is 291 East, 700 South near Cutler.

The program will focus on best management practices that result in improved profitability and sustainability of a forage and livestock operation, Johnson says. Since it is a live, on-site event, you will connect with others who do what you do. You will receive supplemental materials, which you can use as future resources, and go home ready to execute these skills on your farm.

The program each weekend begins on Friday at 1 p.m. local time and runs until 6 p.m. It resumes Saturday morning at 8 a.m. and concludes at 4 p.m. Cost is $75 per individual, with additional members from the same operation attending for $50 each — one set of publications per farm.

Topics will cover the gamut, from soil care to growing the forage to paddock design. There will also be sessions on fencing, watering, record keeping and tips on extending the grazing season.

Registration is required by May 24. Register in southern Indiana here. Register in northern Indiana here. You can also call 812-678-4427 to register for either school.

The event is sponsored by the Indiana Forage Council, in cooperation with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Purdue University Extension, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education group.