Purdue News
Purdue News
|
|
April 23, 2004 Producers can 'gear up for grazing' season at Purdue seminarWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Making the right pasture preparations not only means greener grazing for livestock but also more green for producers to put in their pockets, according to a Purdue University agriculture specialist. Jason Tower, superintendent of the Southern Indiana-Purdue Agricultural Center (SIPAC), said livestock producers must recognize how to make the most of the pasture and grass type that they have and how to manage it for the most profit. "Improved grazing practices can lead to greater production by either increased stocking rates or increased animal performance," Tower said. "By achieving these objectives, a producer can decrease production costs and increase overall herd profitability." For producers interested in learning more about profitable grazing practices, SIPAC will offer a workshop on Thursday (4/29) titled Gearing up for Grazing. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. (CDT) at SIPAC in Dubois, Ind., located on Purdue Farm Road. The workshop is free and open to the public and refreshments will be offered. Gary Lacefield, Extension forage specialist at the University of Kentucky, will be the featured speaker. Lacefield will discuss new grazing management techniques and the history of Kentucky 31 tall fescue. "If not for Kentucky 31 tall fescue, a good portion of Southern Indiana would be in the Ohio River," Tower said. "Kentucky 31 can be a good forage if you learn to manage some of its shortcomings." Lacefield also will talk about whether frost seeding improved clover varieties are worth the extra money. "Frost seeding is a process of spreading clover seed late in the winter over existing pasture," Tower said. "The thought is that the freezing and thawing of the ground will work the seed in - this is a way to get clover incorporated into existing pasture." This workshop is part of the two twilight meetings offered in August and October through SIPAC. The dates and topics have not yet to be determined. The next events at SIPAC include Purdue Forage Day on June 10 and Grazing 102, Volume II, on June 18-19. For more information, contact Tower at (812) 678-4427, jtower@fullnet.com, or Jim Peter, Dubois County Extension, at (812) 482-1782. Writer: Meggie Issler, (765) 494-8402, missler@purdue.edu Source: Jason Tower, (812) 678-4427, jtower@fullnet.com Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722; Beth Forbes, bforbes@aes.purdue.edu
|
