Posts by makenny

Designed with beginning and experienced producers in mind, this 2-day, intensive course will teach you everything you need to know to better manage grazing on your farm. Basic pasture management Grazing management Designing a rotational grazing system Fencing and watering options Strategies to extend the grazing season Matching forage quality & animal needs Creating a forage budget You will have […]

The 2016 VFGC Winter Forage Conferences will be held as scheduled.   Join the VFGC for the 2016 Winter Forage Conferences: “Tall Fescue in the 21st Century: Understanding and Managing Tall Fescue in Grazing Systems” Speakers will include: Local producers speaking at each location Dr. Glen Aiken, (USDA Agricultural Research Service, Lexington, Kentucky) Dr. Joe Bouton, (Bouton Consulting) Dr. Craig […]

The Virginia Tech Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center (AREC) and Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences are searching for a Ruminant Livestock Systems Specialist. This is a full-time, non-tenure track position with a 75% extension and 25% research appointment located at the Southern Piedmont AREC in Blackstone, VA. The successful candidate will have a strong background in ruminant […]

The Heart of America Grazing Conference will be held in Lexington, KY, January 25-26. For more information go to http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/ The event described herein is not sponsored or endorsed by the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council.

This summer, five students from Virginia Tech are participating in the Ecology of Grazing Land Systems (EGLS), a graduate course hosted by Texas Tech, University of Missouri, University of Tennessee, and Virginia Tech. In all, 19 students from six universities are learning about the diverse grassland and rangeland ecosystems of Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. This link is to a […]

The 25th Annual National Black Farmers Association Conference is an interactive two day program giving you practical knowledge and techniques to enhance your skills and networking, and financial resource capabilities for small, limited resource and socially disadvantaged farmers, ranchers and landowners. For more information go to www.NationalBlackFarmersAssociation.org This conference is Free to Attend. Those interested in attending may register online: […]

The multi-year drought in the western United States has forced that region’s farmers, ranchers and government officials to take extensive measures to deal with water shortages. Across the rest of the nation, public and private decision makers are watching the experiences of the West as they address their own regional water management challenges. The Farm Foundation® Forum on Wednesday, July […]

Recent studies indicate that native grasses can be a useful “tool” for forage producers providing a good complement to tall fescue or orchardgrass and a low input alternative to bermudagrass. There are five species typically considered for forage production: switchgrass, big bluestem, little bluestem, indiangrass, and eastern gamagrass. While all have value for forage production, benefits and site adaptations vary […]

The video was shot and produced by Anders Gurda as part of his graduate-thesis work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is now an associate researcher in organic and sustainable cropping systems at UW-Madison.This last video of a four-part series gives Upper Midwestern graziers’ suggestions on how others can implement mob grazing into their operations. Mob Grazing in Their Own Words […]

Thousand of farmers raise livestock on grasslands throughout Virginia. These grasslands have the potential to be very productive, but it largely depends on how the livestock are managed on the pastures. More and more farmers are transitioning from continuous grazing their livestock to a higher level of grazing management. Their goal is to save time and money by grazing their […]