Paddocks, Pastures and People

View the project final report

Commodities

Practices

• Animal Production: grazing management, grazing - continuous, grazing - multispecies, grazing - rotational
• Education and Training: extension, youth education
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity

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.

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.