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The Grazing School originally scheduled for May 12-13, 2020, in Glade Spring has to be cancelled for now due to the uncertain conditions regarding the Corona virus and the Governor’s stay at home order through June 10th.  Everyone who sent in registration checks will get refunded in full.  If possible we will try to reschedule […]

Are you interested in starting a pasture-finished beef operation or improving your existing forage-finished beef operation? If so, consider attending one of the upcoming Pasture-Finished Beef Production Meetings held at three convenient locations around Virginia. These workshops are part of a collaborative effort between Virginia Tech, the University of Kentucky, and West Virginia University. Specialist […]

The VFGC would like to feature more good photos from different farms around the state in the annual grazing calendar. To encourage you to send in your best photos, we have decided to have a contest. Who is eligible:  Anyone can submit a photo, but to win one of the prizes you have to be a […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Stockpiling fescue in late summer and fall offers a great opportunity to extend the grazing season well past our growing season and decrease your hay feeding days. As you know, winter feed costs are the largest expense item in the annual operating budget for a commercial cow-calf operation.  Many farmers over the years have learned […]

The grazing demonstration hosted at Ronnie Nuckols Farm as part of the Conservation Innovation Grant between VFGC and USDA-NRCS is now complete. The detailed case study summary report titled: Using Annual Forages and Improved Grazing Management to Build Soil Health and Improve System Performance, is available for download as a PDF document below. This report […]