Southern Indiana farmers invited to participate in farm-based project

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Southern Indiana farmers are invited to participate in the Grasslands Partnership — a demonstration and research mission that assists in implementing grassland management practices.

“Participating in the Grasslands Partnership on-farm project is a great opportunity to be part of a dynamic and inquisitive team in the ‘tall fescue belt’ region of the country,” said Keith Johnson, Purdue University professor of agronomy and Purdue Extension forage specialist.

Who: Farmers who raised forage-based livestock.

What: A research and demonstration collaboration between the Grasslands Partnership and farmers.

When: The deadline to fill out the interest form is June 30.

Where: Partner-producers must have a farm operation located within the “fescue belt” region. Southern Indiana is on the northern edge of this area.

Why: The goal is to improve the productivity of farms dominated by tall fescue, a cool-season grass.

How: To get started, interested participants can fill out an interest form online at grasslandspartnership.org.

Purdue staff will review the form and contact those who qualify for the project. They will then work with producers to implement one or more of the following grasslands management practices in their farm operation:

• Establishing native warm-season grass pasture or managing native grass pasture with prescribed burn.

• Improving grazing management to maintain optimal leaf surface and allow adequate pasture recovery.

• Interseeding legumes as an alternative nitrogen source.

• Establishing a perennial field buffer around a crop area.

• Establishing silvopasture.

• Amending pasture soil with biochar or gypsum.

The practices will be tailored to each farmer’s management goals. The projects will be evaluated by Extension staff over a four-year period.

Implementation costs will be subsidized by the project’s budget. Learn more at grasslandspartnership.org.