Iowa cattle producers who want to conserve natural resources while optimizing forage and livestock production are invited to attend the 2017 Greenhorn Grazing series this summer. It will be held in two locations in southern Iowa. Five meetings will be held at Mount Pleasant in southeast Iowa and another five at Winterset, to draw attendees from central and southwest Iowa.

Iowa State University Extension beef program specialist Patrick Wall says the series has been a popular management course with more than 250 cattle producers attending over the past seven years.

"This five-part series covers concepts relevant to all producers of grass-based livestock, with topics ranging from the importance of managing forage, weed and brush control, water and fencing systems, forage species selection, legal fencing and lease issues to winter feeding plans," Wall notes. "The five sessions at Mount Pleasant are set in late May through August, and all will have classroom and field segments."

Improve your forage management
Wall and other experts from ISU and private industry will lead the discussions. Local producers and, in some cases, participants in these classes will host the pasture walk portions of the course, explaining their cattle operation’s goals, challenges and management practices. "This series was developed to deliver timely materials and hands-on workshops for producers interested in improving their forage management system," says Wall. “They will learn how to improve the productivity of their land while protecting it for the next generation.”

Individual workshops at Mount Pleasant are May 23, June 6, June 14, June 20 and Aug. 22. The first meeting begins at 5 p.m. at ISU Extension’s Henry County office at 127 N. Main St. in Mount Pleasant, and concludes at a farm location in the evening.

Support from Dow AgroSciences, the Iowa Forage & Grassland Council, and the Iowa Beef Center helps keep the series cost low at $60. Participants are urged to attend all sessions, but fees for individual sessions are available upon request. The fee includes a meal and educational materials for each session. Producers are asked to register by May 19 by calling the ISU Extension Henry County office at 319-385-8126 or call Wall at 515-450-7665, or by emailing Wall at [email protected].

Greenhorn grazing at Winterset
Livestock producers interested in learning to optimize forage and livestock production while conserving natural resources are invited to attend the 2017 Iowa Greenhorn Grazing series in Winterset. ISU Extension beef program specialist Joe Sellers says the series has been a popular management course with more than 250 producers attending over the past seven years.

"This five-part series covers concepts relevant to all producers of grass-based livestock. Topics range from the importance of managing forage, soil fertility, water and fencing systems, to forage species selection, legal fencing and lease issues, to winter feeding plans," Sellers says. "The five sessions at Winterset are scheduled for June through November, and all will have both classroom and field segments."

Sellers and other experts from ISU, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and private industry will lead the discussions. Local producers will host the pasture walk portions of the course, explaining their operation goals and management practices.

"This series was developed to deliver timely materials and hands-on workshops for producers interested in improving their forage management system," Sellers says. “Producers will learn how to improve the productivity and protection of their land.”

Individual workshops and topics
The workshops at Winterset are June 6, June 27, Aug. 1, Sept. 26 and Nov. 14, and all begin at 4 p.m. The meetings will be at the Madison County Extension office, 117 N. John Wayne Drive, in Winterset. Each meeting will conclude at a farm location in the evening. See the program flier for details.

Support from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa Beef Center, and Madison County Cattlemen’s Association help keep the series cost low at $50. Participants are urged to attend all sessions, but fees for individual sessions are available. The fee includes a meal and educational materials for each session. You are asked to register by June 1 by calling the Madison County Extension office at 515-462-1001 or Sellers at 641-203-1270, or send an email to [email protected].

Source: Iowa State University