Save the Date for 2013 Iowa Grazing Conference

CRESTON, Iowa -- Iowa grazing supporters are planning the 2013 edition of the Iowa Grazing Conference set for later this summer. They encourage those who use grazing in their livestock operations to put the June 25-26 event on their calendars now. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach beef program specialist Joe Sellers has been involved with the conference for several years and said this year’s event has classroom and field experiences.

“The featured speaker is Garry Lacefield, a grazing and forage specialist from the University of Kentucky, and we have a great variety of breakout session topics for attendees,” he said. “Improving grazing management, cover crops, using annual forage crops for hay and pasture, using grazing to improve wildlife habitat and environmental impacts of grazing are just a few of the topics on the agenda.”

The conference at the Southwestern Community College campus in Creston runs from 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25 to noon on Wednesday, June 26. In addition to breakout sessions and a producer panel, the event also has a pasture walk and barbeque meal on the evening of June 25.

Sellers said final program details and registration information will be available in late April through program sponsors Iowa Beef Center at www.iowabeefcenter.org  and Iowa Forage and Grasslands Council at iowaforage.org. Other sponsors and planners include ISU Extension and Outreach, the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Southwestern Community College and Practical Farmers of Iowa.

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