Managing to improve pastures is focus of Purdue forage workshop

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Purdue University’s Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center will host a Forage Management Day that will help individuals involved with forages and pasture management hone their diagnostic skills Sept. 3 in West Lafayette.

“This workshop is for people who have a sincere desire to improve their pasture management system and skills,” said Keith Johnson, Purdue Extension forage management specialist and workshop instructor.

Johnson encourages farmers who have pastured livestock, agribusiness personnel that interact with farmers about forage management decisions, Natural Resources and Conservation Service’s staff and Extension educators to attend.

Workshop participants should meet and sign in at the Beck Agricultural Center, located off U.S. 52 West, at Purdue’s Agronomy Center for Research and Education (ACRE). Sign in begins at 9 a.m. with a brief welcome and outline of the day to follow at 9:30 a.m.

Pre-registration is required and can be done by calling Connie Foster at 765-494-4773. A registration brochure also is available online at http://www.ag.purdue.edu/agry/dtc/Pages/september3.aspx . Registration is due Aug. 29 and costs $80, which includes lunch, materials and transportation to another farm.

Susannah Hinds, NRCS grazing specialist, also will help instruct the workshop. Sessions include use of a Web soil survey and topographical maps; forage and weed identification; understanding soil fertility tests; and assessing pasture conditions and the presence of pests.

Johnson and Hinds will take participants to two different locations for a hands-on learning experience. Before the day wraps up at 4:30 p.m., participants will be asked to assess pasture conditions on a farm scout for pests and make recommendations about the layout of fence, water distribution, hay storage and corral location.

Workshop participants will learn to read and understand soil survey maps and topographical maps, Johnson said. By knowing how to read soil and topographical maps, a producer can then make better management decisions about where to divide the pasture into paddocks for rotational grazing, water and fence placement, where to store hay and feed during the course of the winter, and where to place a corral.

“We’ll look at what forages can be used or improve what you already have by including different forages,” Johnson said. “All these things help better utilize the forage crop grown.”

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