Heifers graze in paddocks set up by Grazing School participants. Photo by Dr. Jimmy Henning

Forty eight producers, conservation districts, NRCS, UK agents and industry professionals recently completed a two day grazing school at the UK Grain and Forage Center of Excellence in Princeton. Attendance was the highest in recent years. The grazing school was taught by a team of experts that included UK Extension specialists and agents, NRCS state staff and industry leaders. Attendees received classroom and hands-on field training in grazing systems. The centerpiece of the school was the field exercise where participants allocate one day’s worth of pasture for a group of three heifers and set up a temporary fence and water system to for their ‘system’.

Dr. Chris Teutsch, new Extension Forage Specialist in Princeton, recapped the lessons learned from the field exercise, “Livestock clearly grazed more uniformly in the grazing paddocks, especially those designed for higher utilization.” Teutsch noted that they readily consumed the johnsongrass and even the leaves of curly dock. The skills learned at the school will allow producers to put this practice to work on their home farms. The grazing school is part of the UK Master Grazer Educational Program (http://www2.ca.uky.edu/grazer/), supported by Kentucky Ag Development Funds and the Kentucky Beef Network. The next school is scheduled for the fall in Woodford County for Sept. 27-28, 2017. Details will be posted soon on the UK Forage Website. ~ Dr. Jimmy Henning, UK Forage Extension