All photographs on this page were provided courtesy of Elisabeth Spratt.
Why Regenerative Grazing? | Schedule | About the Stations |
Cost | Refund Policy | COVID 19 Safety Plan
Have you herd?
Regenerative grazing can build healthy soils and support farm profitability.
Are you,
- a beef producer hoping to improve your environmental and economic outcomes?
- a row crop farmer looking for a herd to graze your cover crops, or looking to add livestock into your rotation?
- a landowner exploring additional revenue streams?
Then join us for a regenerative grazing field day to see first-hand what managing a regenerative grazing operation really takes!
Are you a certified crop advisor? This series has been approved for 1.5 Crop Management CCA Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and 1.0 Soil and Water CCA CEUs.
Download the event flyer here.
WHY REGENERATIVE GRAZING?
Regenerative grazing can enhance soil health and reduce nutrient loss while supporting farm profitability. This differs from continuous grazing by regularly moving livestock to create a more even distribution of manure throughout the pasture, providing fertility to the land, and allowing it time to rest and regenerate. This type of grazing is well-suited for Illinois because it can:
- provide an additional revenue stream to farmers and landowners;
- provide opportunities to grain farmers to integrate livestock into their rotations by grazing fallow fields and cover crops; and
- improve soil health and water quality.
SCHEDULE
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 | 8:30 am – 1:30 pm
To limit gathering in large groups, this field day will be organized in stations that small groups will rotate through. You will be assigned to a group the morning of the field day and will stay with that group as you learn from each of the station leaders. Each station will feature a 30 minute presentation with time for Q&A, followed by ten minutes to walk to the next station. All stations will be outdoors, limited seating will be available.
8:30 am: Registration & Check-in
9:00 am: Welcome & Logistics
9:20 am: Station 1
10:00 am: Station 2
10:40 am: Station 3
11:20 am: Station 4
12:00 pm: Station 5
12:30 pm: Lunch
ABOUT THE STATIONS
About the Farm | Lyle Wetzel & Bobby Orman
Farmer, Lyle, and Herd Manager, Bobby, will share the history of the farm and discuss practices they use to manage their herd, including adaptive grazing, cover crops, and diversified crop rotation.
Assessing Forage Quality & Calculating Biomass | Ted Krauskopf, Hickory Flat Cattle Company
Ted will explain how he assesses forage quality in his pastures, including how to plan rotations to achieve a particular stage of forage maturity for your herd. He’ll discuss how to measure BRIX as well as how to calculate available forage biomass.
Herd Health | Travis Meteer, Commercial Ag Educator specializing in beef research, University of Illinois Extension
Travis will share his guidance on how to assess an animal’s contentment in a regenerative grazing setting through body condition, manure checks, and more.
Water & Fencing | Matt Bunger, Illinois State Grazing Specialist, IL NRCS
Matt will discuss current water and fencing options available to livestock producers, considering the benefits and challenges of each through a regenerative grazing lens.
Soil Health & Water Quality | Cliff Schuette, Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative
Regenerative grazing allows room for soil health and water quality to improve by resting the land compared to traditional grazing practices, which can lead to overgrazing. Cliff will discuss how to observe soil and water benefits when producers choose to implement regenerative grazing.
COST
On-farm Field Day: $30*
[Cost includes a light lunch]
*If you attended our regenerative grazing online series in February 2021 and would like to attend the field day, please contact Cassidy to get a coupon code for $10 off the cost of the field day, [email protected].
REFUND POLICY
If you are no longer able to attend these events and need to cancel your registration, please contact us at 217-840-2128.
- Cancellations made up to September 1 will receive a full refund minus a $5 processing fee
- Cancellations made within one week of the event will receive a 50% refund
- In the event that we need to cancel this on-farm field day due to COVID-19, all registrants will receive a 100% refund.
COVID-19 SAFETY PLAN
All field day attendees are expected to follow current CDC and Illinois state public safety guidelines. Mask-wearing and physical distancing will be enforced. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available for your use. Attendance will be limited based on current CDC and state guidance to create a safe environment.
This program is a collaboration of The Land Connection, the Pasture Project, University of Illinois Extension, and the Champaign County Soil & Water Conservation District. It is made possible through the generous support of the Lumpkin Family Foundation.
Special thanks to The Land Connection sponsors!
Soil Builder
Harvester
