Monday, August 10, 2015

GRAZING BASICS SCHOOL



Rory Lewandowski, Extension Educator Wayne County
            The Ohio State University – ATI, OSU Extension, and the Ohio Forage and Grasslands Council is sponsoring a 3-day Grazing Basics School on September 29, 30 and October 1 of 2015.  The school will be held at the Ohio State University ATI campus in Wooster.  The grazing basics school is designed for those who are new to grazing livestock and desire to improve their grazing management skills.   For those graziers with some experience the school offers the opportunity to brush up on skills or gain some additional knowledge.

The school is structured as a combination of morning classroom sessions with afternoon hands-on learning and practice.  There will be some optional evening sessions.   Instructors include OSU Extension educators, state specialists, ATI Instructors and industry professionals. Topics covered during morning sessions include: Understanding Pasture Plant Growth, Plant Species Selection, Soil Fertility, Matching Forages to Livestock Nutrient Needs, Minerals, Fencing, Water Systems, Stockpiling, and Economics. The afternoons include interactive sessions covering pasture measurement, paddock setup, livestock grazing, forage and weed identification, nutrient management, water and fencing systems.  These sessions will take place at the 1700 acre Ohio State ATI Grace Drake Learning Laboratory.   During these afternoon lab sessions, vendors including seed, feed, fencing and grazing water supply companies will be on hand to explain their products and facilitate some of the sessions.

The cost of the school is $150/person which includes continental breakfast, handouts, noon lunch and refreshments.  Pre-registration is required by September 22.  For more information about the grazing basics workshop including a registration form and lodging options, go to the Wayne County Extension web site at: http://go.osu.edu/2015OSUgrazingschool  or contact the Wayne County Extension office at 330-264-8722.