Michigan State University hosts 2023 Beginner Grazing School

Jul 24, 2023

By Michelle Sweeten

According to the National Agriculture Statistics Service, Michigan farmland contains over 523,905 acres of pastureland. Often these acres are marginal ground that is minimally managed. The Michigan State University Extension Beginner Grazing School is designed to provide participants with the latest livestock and forage research on grazing management. The Beginner Grazing School is for individuals new to farming as well as established farmers looking to improve their grazing skills. New farmers learn what is needed to start a grazing operation while networking with those who are more experienced.

Bring your grazing experiences and questions to the 2023 Beginner Grazing School on Tuesday, Aug. 22, and Wednesday, Aug. 23, at the Michigan State University Lake City Research Center. Extension educators and specialists are excited to return to this 100% in-person event.

Topics will include:

Introduction to school and overview of grazing terms
Graziers are grass farmers!
Soil health and fertility
Nutrition, health and welfare of grazing animals
Pasture establishment and renovations
Fencing and water systems for grazing management
Pasture allocation, stock density, costs
Designing a grazing plan

Plan for times to be in the field to ask questions and see grazing tools and practices in person.

After attending in 2022, Tiffari Jenkins said, “The training was great. There was just enough field portion to demonstrate activities as well as a class size conducive for learning different methods to be utilized in our grazing techniques moving forward.”

Join us to learn and improve your grazing operation. To be notified when registration is open, subscribe to the Great Lakes Grazing Newsletter.

Successful grazers are flexible and adaptable to change. For more information and to register, contact Michelle Sweeten at sweeten1@msu.edu, Kable Thurlow at thurlowk@msu.edu or Frank Wardynski at wardynsk@msu.edu. We are here to help you reach your goals and want you to be outcome-driven!

Source : msu.edu

Video: Season 7, Episode 1: Managing Risk and Seeing Opportunities in U.S. Pork Production

Today’s episode features three guests discussing the similarities and differences between pork production in the United States and Brazil, along with strategies for managing risk in today’s industry while recognizing and acting on opportunities. First, Dr. Anne Caroline de Lara, executive manager of live pig production at Seara Alimentos, a JBS company in Brazil, is joined by Dr. Matthew Turner, head of operations for JBS Live Pork. Together, they discuss how labor, climate and ventilation challenges vary between Brazil and the United States, while underscoring their shared commitment to raising healthy pigs. They also point to lessons producers in both countries can take from one another’s systems and on-farm experiences. Then, Brady Reicks, risk manager at Reicks View Farms, shares his perspective on risk management, drawing from his background in markets and his transition into farming. He discusses how protecting margins varies by operation and offers practical approaches producers can use to make marketing and business decisions with greater confidence rather than hesitation.

Both conversations were recorded at recent industry events focused on swine livability, including the International Conference on Pig Livability and Iowa Swine Day.