By Blake Jackson
The University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment will host the Fall Kentucky Intermediate Grazing School on September 24-25, offering livestock producers a hands-on and research-based approach to grazing management.
Now in its second year since being redesigned, the program has been updated to place greater emphasis on soil and practical applications, ensuring producers gain the knowledge and skills needed to build more profitable and sustainable grazing systems. Over two days, participants will take part in a mix of classroom instruction and fieldwork.
“Kentucky producers of all experience levels are welcome at our intermediate grazing school,” said Chris Teutsch, forage specialist and extension associate professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.
“While this school is geared toward those who have already started improved grazing management, our topics and discussions will benefit producers at all stages, especially beginners, with a more applied approach to grazing management.”
Day one includes lessons on forage assessment, calculating stocking rates with grazing math, managing tall fescue, and identifying forage plants and root systems.
Additional sessions will address portable and seasonal water systems, evaluating pasture productivity, and using electric fencing for forage control, with demonstrations on building small paddocks.
Producers will also visit UK research farms for tailored demonstrations, exploring topics such as electric fencing, soil and hay sampling, forage species selection, and long-term grazing strategies like stockpiling fescue for winter.
The second day will focus on broader system management, with discussions on providing shade in grazing systems, drought’s impact on livestock and forage, soil nutrient cycling, and optimizing forage resources.
The program concludes with group reflections on farm demonstrations, along with practical discussions about frost seeding and using annual crops to extend the grazing season.
The school will be held at the Woodford County Extension Office, 184 Beasley Road, Versailles, KY. Registration is $60 per participant and closes September 22. Online registration is available at 2025IntermediateGrazing.eventbrite.com.
Those registering by mail should send a $60 check payable to KFGC to: Caroline Roper, UKREC, 348 University Drive, Princeton, KY 42445, noting “2025 Fall Grazing School” in the memo line.
Photo Credit:gettyimages-jacqueline-nix
Categories: Kentucky, Education, Livestock