Beef producers wanting to optimize forage and livestock production while conserving natural resources should attend the southern Iowa Greenhorn Grazing series. Iowa State University (ISU) Extension beef program specialist Joe Sellers says five day-long events are set for May through November.
“The series' topics range from the importance of managing forage to legal fencing and lease issues to winter feeding plans,” Sellers says. “All sessions will have classroom and field segments.”
Developed by ISU Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service and industry staff, the program offers timely materials and hands-on workshops for producers interested in improving their forage management systems, says Sellers. They are scheduled for May 26, June 23, Aug. 25, Sept. 15 and Nov. 15.
Each session begins at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick’s Church Hall, 607 6th St., in Corning, and concludes at a farm location in early afternoon. Grants from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, the Iowa Beef Center, the Southern Iowa Forage and Livestock Committee and Dow AgroSciences help keep costs low at $75. 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.
Producers should register by May 21 by contacting the Adams County Extension Office at 641-322-3184, or by emailing Sellers at sellers@iastate.edu. The program brochure http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/events/GHgrazingflyer.pdf is available on the Iowa Beef Center (IBC) Web site.