The theme for the 2021 Northwest Illinois Grazing Conference is “Reinvigorating Pastures and Expanding Grazing”. The conference hosted by University of Illinois Extension will be held virtually via the Zoom platform over four consecutive Wednesday evenings in March from 6:30 to 8 p.m. There will be a $15 fee for all four sessions or a $5 fee per session if you do not want to register for all sessions. Pre-registration is required to receive the Zoom link to participate. To register or for more information visit us online at go.illinois.edu/jsw or call us at 815-858-2273.
On March 3, 2021 Laura Paine from UW Extension will kick the series off talking about “Am I a Regenerative Grazer?” “Regenerative” is the buzz word these days in agriculture, and particular attention is being paid to regenerative grazing. Should you consider becoming a regenerative grazer? What are the benefits? And how do you do it? Spoiler alert: you may already be doing it!
On March 10, 2021 Teresa Steckler from University of Illinois Extension will discuss “Be Creative – Identifying Alternative Grazing Opportunities”. One of the most limiting factors for small ruminant producers is adequate pasture size. Lack of pasture can lead to increased internal parasitism and decreased nutritional content. What “pasture” alternatives are possible for small farms with sheep and goats? Teresa will explore different possibilities, limitations and potential pitfalls of these alternative “pastures”.
On March 17, 2021 Travis Meteer from University of Illinois Extension will be talking about “Extending the Grazing Season”. Travis will be talking about keys to getting more grazing days. He will cover pasture grazing tips, utilizing alternative grazing opportunities such as crop residue and cover crops. He will also share some tools and equipment that will help make this easier to implement.
Finally, on March 24, 2021 Gene Schriefer from UW Extension will wrap up the series with his presentation on “Encouraging Maximum Grazing and Weed Control, Putting the Pieces Together”. Grazing is a system, an eco-system, interconnecting soil, biology, plants and livestock. Weeds can be controlled with herbicide and culture, but the more parts that are mismanaged the more external inputs are required to sustain production leading to cost increases. For this system to thrive we need to consider all the component parts and NOT ONLY manage one part if we want a dense, vigorous stand that produces low cost forage for the entire growing season and beyond, recovers quickly after grazing to sustain our livestock.