Alternative Forages for Grazing Systems: Unlocking Your Farms’ Production Potential

Registration is closed, please register at the event.

Dates: January 15 through January 18, 2019  The conferences will run from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm.

The daylong conference will be repeated at four locations:

Locations:

• Wytheville, Wytheville Meeting Center, January 15, 2019
• Blackstone, Southern Piedmont AREC, January 16, 2019
• Brandy Station, Brandy Station Fire Department, January 17, 2019
• Weyers Cave, Weyers Cave Community Center, January 18, 2019

Alternative Forages for Grazing Systems: Unlocking Your Farms’ Production Potential is the theme of the 2019 VFGC Winter Forage Conferences.

Tall fescue was once the new kid on the forage block in Virginia. Today it makes up the predominant forage base on pastures and hay fields across the Commonwealth, but it’s primarily productive in the spring and fall. The utilization of alternative forages that fill the gaps left by tall fescue is the focus of the 2019 Winter Forage Conferences, hosted by the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council (VFGC) and Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE).

Two speakers will highlight the use and benefits of two categories of alternative forages: annual forages and native warm-season grasses. Dr. Matt Poore, Professor and Extension Specialist in ruminant nutrition at North Carolina State University, will address annual forages and the situations in which they are most profitable. Annual grasses, legumes, and forbs may be used to provide large amounts of high-quality forage in both the summer and winter.

The production potential of native summer forages will be covered by Dr. Patrick Keyser, Professor and Director of the Center for Native Grasslands Management at the University of Tennessee. Native summer forages are very productive in the summer and well-adapted to Virginia. Dr. Keyser will also address some of the key steps for successfully establishing these native forages.

The VFGC winter conferences will also feature local livestock producers who utilize alternative forages on their farms. Conference participants will be provided with real-world overviews of how annuals and native grasses are helping farmers produce forage for their livestock at critical times throughout the year.