Posts by makenny

Sign up now for the 2020 Novel Tall Fescue Renovation Workshop hosted by Virginia Tech and the Alliance for Grassland Renewal. Remember when Dr. Dan Undersander reminded us of the danger of being penny wise and pound foolish at the 2020 VFGC winter conferences? Specifically, Dr. Undersander mentioned how novel endophyte tall fescue can often increase cow conception rates and […]

Demonstrating conversion of wildtype to novel endophyte fescue pastures for greater livestock performance and better environmental outcomes Project Background  Tall fescue is the predominant forage species used in animal production systems across the upper Southeast, but it is the host for a fungus that produces alkaloids that are toxic to livestock. Environmental concerns relative to pasture systems may have strong […]

Our 2020 winter forage conferences are scheduled for the following dates: January 21 – Wytheville January 22 – Chatham January 23 – Brandy Station January 24 – Weyers Cave. The theme for this year’s educational conferences is: THINKING STRATEGICALLY: The Role of Hay in Today’s Grazing System.” 2020 VFGC Winter Forage Conferences Brochure. As you can see from the brochure, […]

On-line Registration is Closed!! The 2020 Winter Forage Conferences will be held January 21 thru 24, 2020 at various locations across Virginia. The 2020 theme will be Thinking Strategically: The Role of Hay in Today’s Grazing System The Keynote Speakers will be: Kevin Yon. Yon Family Farms of Ridge Spring, SC is a family-owned operation consisting of Kevin and Lydia […]

Gabriel Pent has been named superintendent of Virginia Tech’s Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Raphine, Virginia. The Florida native has lived in Blackstone for the past two years. Pent brings extensive knowledge of agricultural research and Extension programming, including expertise in reducing livestock heat stress through silvopasture and alternative forages, the use of technologies to identify animal […]

The school will be led by forage specialists from the NRCS & Virginia Cooperative Extension. We will also be joined by , Dr. Tom Griggs, forage specialist with WVU. Tom has spent his career working with grazing-focused producers across the U.S. “This school is designed for experienced managers seeking to better understand advanced forage management concepts and  intensify their grazing […]

Dr. Kathryn Payne has accepted the position to become the Applied Forage Systems Specialist at the Virginia Tech Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center (SPAREC).  Katie’s appointment was effective July 1, 2019. Dr. Payne completed a BS degree in Soil Science, with an emphasis in Watershed Management, from West Virginia University.  She earned a MS degree in Crop and […]

As a farmer in Virginia and a VFGC member, I’m sure you met David Fiske. Over the last 18 years, David served as a dedicated Board member of the VFGC and Superintendent of the Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center. So many of us benefitted from David’s service and dedication to Virginia agriculture as participants in research farm tours, […]

By: JB Daniel, USDA-NRCS State Grazing Specialist Jerry and Judy Ingle partnered with the Black Diamond RC&D, the local Extension agent along with the Soil and Water District and NRCS to host an educational meeting emphasizing the practice of stockpiling and strip-grazing fescue over the winter. The event was held on February 19, 2019 and began with 33 participants attending […]

David Allen Fiske, (age 59) of Steeles Tavern Virginia died unexpectedly from a sudden illness on Friday, November 16, 2018. He was born on September 14, 1959 in Charlottesville Virginia. David spent his younger years on the family farm and surrounding community near Aldie, Virginia. David was a loving son, brother, uncle, dedicated agriculturalist, community volunteer and caring friend to […]