By Blake Jackson
The University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment is hosting the upcoming 2024 Fall Kentucky Intermediate Grazing School, offering livestock producers an intensive learning experience.
This year's program has been updated to emphasize the importance of soils and practical application in effective grazing management.
The two-day event combines hands-on activities and classroom instruction to enhance profitability.
The first day includes assessing forage availability, using grazing math to determine stocking rates, managing tall fescue, and identifying plants and forage.
Attendees will also learn about portable and seasonal water systems, strategies for evaluating pasture productivity, using electric fencing for forage management, and practical demonstrations for setting up small paddocks.
Participants will visit various UK research farms for on-farm demonstrations, focusing on electric fencing for grazing control, offset strategies, soil and hay sampling, effective forage plant cultivation, and grazing management strategies.
The day concludes with discussions on appropriate forage species selections and creating a holistic grazing system, including stockpiling fescue for winter.
The second day features discussions on shade in grazing systems, the impact of drought on forage and livestock, nutrient cycling through the soil, and optimizing existing forage resources.
Attendees will also hear from a local producer, Todd Clark, who sells grass-fed and finished beef to consumers and major grocery chains.
The day concludes with discussions on demonstration areas, frost seeding, and using annuals to extend the grazing season.
The event will take place on September 25-26 at the Woodford County Extension Office. Registration is $60 per participant and closes on September 20.
Photo Credit: istock-dusanpetkovic
Categories: Kentucky, Crops, Hay & Forage, Livestock