ELKADER, Iowa -- A field day will be held Aug. 31 at the Gene Tinker Farm south of Elkader beginning at 3:30 p.m. This field day is one of a series of meetings titled “Grazin’ Days – A Pasture Management Workshop” held throughout Iowa this summer. It will be an excellent opportunity for farmers who are implementing a rotational grazing system to learn more about how to manage a grazing system.
The meeting will be conducted in a pasture walk format at Tinker’s farm. Tinker will describe his system during the walking tour. Tinker, along with Dan Morrical, Iowa State University Professor of Animal Science, and Brian Peterson, State Grassland Conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), will answer attendees’ questions. Dale Thoreson, ISU livestock specialist, will also be on hand to assist with the program.
Topics covered at the event will be: plant identification, manure distribution, decentralized watering system, weed and brush control, managing forage heights, pasture condition scoring and contingency plans during weather crisis (too wet or dry). In addition, participants are encouraged to ask questions on grazing management to help them better manage their system.
Directions to the Gene Tinker farm: South from Elkader on Highway 13 to County Road X3C (Grandview Road) to County Road X21 (Littleport Road) 2.3 miles south from Littleport. OR From Edgewood go 0.5 mile west on Highway 3 then 6.5 miles north on County Road X21 (Littleport Road).
Cost for the workshop is $20, which includes a new version of the popular publication the ISU Extension publication, Pasture Management Guide for Livestock (PM 1713), a three-ring binder with literature on various components of grazing systems and meal.
To register, send $20 to Iowa Forage and Grassland Council, 900 Des Moines Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50309-5549. Make checks payable to: Iowa Forage and Grassland Council. Include a note with your payment that this is for the Gene Tinker Workshop.
“Grazin’ Days – A Pasture Management Workshop” is sponsored by the Iowa Forage and Grassland Council, NRCS, ISU Extension, Iowa Beef Center, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Southern Iowa Forage and Livestock Committee, and Practical Farmers of Iowa. For more details, contact Brian Peterson, NRCS State Grassland Conservationist, at (515) 323-2216 or Dan Morrical at (515) 294-2904.
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