Project Overview
Information Products
Commodities
Practices
- Animal Production: grazing management, grazing - continuous, grazing - multispecies, grazing - rotational
- Education and Training: extension, youth education
- Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity
Abstract:
Sustainable pastures increase profit for farmers through increased productivity and profitability. Good pasture maintenance will reduce erosion, protect streams, provide pollinator habitat and promote environmental stewardship. In Iowa where pasture is about 10% of land, farmers can make pasture more sustainable through rotational grazing, planting more diverse and native species, and using natural windbreaks. Through workshops,
youth will learn the basics of pasture maintenance, livestock use, sustainable pasture practices and then apply this learning to self-directed experiments. Youth can improve the quality of life in their communities by creating action plans for how to relay this information to others.
Project objectives:
1. Provide youth with skills to maintain pastures through workshops with hands-on activities and interactive presentations on sustainable pasture.
2. Disseminate knowledge of the benefits of sustainable pasture practices for livestock, people, and the environment through a series of workshops.
3. Increase the use of sustainable pasture practices in Iowa as youth develop action plans to bring the information to their communities.
4. Foster positive youth development by giving youth the opportunity to make positive changes in their communities.
5. Generate interest in science careers by taking students through a self-directed experiment on pasture plant diversity.