Edgar County Area Management Intensive Grazing Workshop

News Release

Montgomery County MIG-GRAZING CONCEPTS WORKSHOP

One of the most critical decisions facing livestock producers is how to best utilize the forage resources on their farm. Feed costs represent the major production cost for all species of livestock and of that costs; harvested feed represents the major share of the total feed costs. So the goal of every livestock producer who has any type of grazing animal should be to have the animal harvest as much feed as possible and to utilize a higher percent of the forages that are produced on their land. On many farms forages are currently being under management and under utilized.

Management Intensive Grazing (MIG) or rotational grazing is a practice that is being utilized by producers to help extend the grazing season, earlier in the spring and later in the fall, and to utilize a higher percent of the forages produced on their land. The Montgomery County Extension Unit has scheduled Illinois Grazing concepts Workshop for Thursday, November 20, 2003. The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Montgomery County Extension Office, #1 Industrial Park Drive, in Hillsboro.

Highlighting the program will be a panel of graziers. John Marcoot, is a dairy grazier form Greenville; Cliff Schuette is a beef year around grazier from Breese, and Stan Schutte is a poultry –grass fed beef grazier from Stewardson. Tom Kolkmeier, Forage Specialist from Pennington Seeds, will cover managing novel endophyte fescue, Steve Wallace, Forage Specialist, Barenbrug Seed; will cover the total farm concept of selecting forage species. Ben Tracy, University of Illinois Agriecologist, will cover plant diversity and soil heath in a grazing environment, and University of Illinois Extension Educator Ed Ballard, and Roger Staff, NRCS Grassland Grazing Specialist, will discuss topics like why should you graze, nutritional concepts of extended grazing, and environmental benefits of grazing. The workshop will include information for all grazing species of animals, such as beef, dairy, goats, horses, sheep, etc.

There will be a $15 registration fee, if preregistered by November 13; at the door registration is $20, which includes lunch and handout materials. To register make a check payable to the University of Illinois and mail to University of Illinois Extension, Montgomery County Extension Unit, #1 Industrial Park Drive, Hillsboro, IL 62049.

Sponsors for the workshop are University of Illinois Extension, Montgomery County Extension Unit, Illinois Grassland Initiative Council and Natural Resources Conservation Service. For additional details contact Kelli Bassett, Unit Educator for Montgomery County at 217/532-3941 or Ed Ballard, Animal Systems Educator at 217/347-5126.

-30-

University of Illinois ~ U.S. Department of Agriculture ~ Local Extension Councils Cooperating

University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.