Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

‘Not your father's kind of grazing' to be focus of March 30 workshop

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March 17, 2010

AMES, Iowa -- As the saying goes, it’s not “your father’s kind of grazing.” The latest in grazing techniques will be the focus of a workshop sponsored by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Iowa Native Lands. The workshop will feature recent findings about grazing goats, bison and cattle on native vegetation in prairies, public lands and conservation easements.

The workshop will be held Tuesday, March 30 at the Ames Quality Inn Starlite Village Conference Center. Sessions are scheduled from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

“We’ve learned a lot about natural areas grazing since our first conference in 2006,” said Inger Lamb, president of Iowa Native Lands and workshop organizer. “Goats have become woody removal stars for getting rid of invasive plants, and we’ll report on a successful rent-a-goat business model.” Lamb said that in many cases goats and bison make excellent use of the native vegetation. Cattle also are used for land management and more is being learned each year that will help direct prescribed grazing efforts.

Grazing workshop topics and presenters include:

  • Research on the Effects of Grazing Goats and Cattle in Conservation Areas – Loren Lown, Polk County Conservation Board, Granger (a Leopold Center Ecology Initiative project)
  • Patch Burn Grazing: Effects on Cattle Body Condition – Devan McGranahan, ISU Rangeland Ecology program (a Leopold Center Ecology Initiative project)
  • Effectiveness of a Rent-a-Goat Business Model – Jesse Bennett, Driftless Land Stewardship, Bagley, Wisconsin
  • Ecological Effects of Managed CRP Grazing – Elizabeth Hill, Whiterock Conservancy, Coon Rapids
  • A New Look at Understanding and Applying a Very Old System: How Bison Function Naturally in Family Units – Bob Jackson and Susan Chin, Tall Grass Bison, Promise City
  • Double-Cropping Experiment Results – Steve Barnhart, ISU Extension
  • Case Studies from the Leopold Center’s Grass-Based Livestock Workshop Group: Bison and Biodiversity – Scott Moats, Broken Kettle Grasslands Preserve, Plymouth County; and Grazing Goats to Clean Up Unwanted Plants – Steve Smith, Two Friends Farm, Marshalltown

Registration is $25 and will be accepted at the door. In order to be guaranteed a bison burger lunch, registration must be received by March 26. For more information, or to register, contact Lamb at ingerlamb@mchsi.com, or (515) 250-1693. Or use the registration form on the Leopold Center web site events page.

 

For more info contact:

Inger Lamb, Iowa Native Lands, (515) 250-1693, ingerlamb3@mchsi.com

Jeri Neal, Leopold Center Ecology Initiative, (515) 294-5610, wink@iastate.edu

Laura Miller, Leopold Center Communications, (515) 294-5272, lwmiller@iastate.edu

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