Training, Networking and Demonstrating Whole Farm Forage Grazing Systems

Training, Networking and Demonstrating Whole Farm Forage Grazing Systems

Summary

Summary
Using on-farm demonstrations, case studies, seminars and field days, this project is educating agency personnel about management-intensive grazing. Participants will establish a grazers' network to maintain and enhance the activities initiated by the project. This project is working in partnership with another SARE-supported professional development project, "Training, Networking and Demonstrating Whole-Farm Forage Grazing Systems" (ENE96-21).

Objectives
1. Train extension, conservation partnership and related agribusiness personnel in regional workshops to transfer information about economically sound and environmentally sensitive integrated grazing systems.
2. Use 12 actual farms as demonstrations to serve as training tools, research sites, and educational training centers.
Demonstrate to 450 farmers operations using management intensive grazing systems.
3. Establish a farmer network in each of the five regions of Maryland and Delaware for mutual support on forage grazing system issues.
4. Develop six regional economic/environmental case studies that are local enough to interest skeptics, but regional in applicability to other states. Prepare a publication to summarize this information and develop promotional information targeted toward farmers stating the results of this study.
Create an educational video to convey this information.
5. Bring new and innovative ideas into the Mid-Atlantic Region on forage grazing issues and their impact on economic and environmental sustainability of farms and communities. Conduct several regional seminars and three farm field tours. Develop a "Thunderbook" for grazing systems that is a product of the seminars.

Methods and Activities
Beginning in November of 1996 we began a working merger with the group lead by Larry Muller at Penn State. Our first joint goalwas the development of the training course that both groups had envisioned. Shortly after our first meeting we developed four focus teams to work on four topical areas; Pasture Management, Plant and Animal Interface, Grazing Systems, and Economics & Environment.

Fours ring binders of lessons and reference information were developed as a "Thunderbook" for permanent reference to those who attend the two, two day sessions. The material included information that could easily be developed into programs on various topics on grazing.

A trial test of the instructional material was presented to a group of approximately a dozen agricultural professionals including several livestock operators in September.

Using the title "Management Intensive Grazing Course," two separate two day sessions were presented in October at Danville, PA and Donaldson Brown Center at Port Deposit, MD covering the topics of `Pasture Management" and "Plant and Animal Interface."

Two weeks later at the same locations the topics of "Grazing Systems" and "Economic & Environment" were given to the same students. Over 30 individuals attended these sessions.

Last Winter we also worked on demonstration projects for individual extension Offices and conservation district offices in Maryland and Delaware. We had about 25 applications and selected a dozen innovative management intensive grazing ideas that would be focal points for local demonstration activities in future years. Due to severe drought conditions, many of these were not installed and we hope they will be put in place next year.

Using feedback from the first two sessions we hope to see what can be developed to provide additional support to people using management intensive grazing.
Reported December 1997.