Series offers strategies to improve pasture productivity, resilience

ELIZABETH, Ill. — Join University of Illinois Extension for a series, “Pasture Improvement: The Basics and Beyond,” that will focus on management strategies to improve pasture productivity and resilience.

The sessions will be held 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, March 5, March 12 and March 19, at Jo Daviess County Extension, 204 N. Vine St., Elizabeth.

The sessions will build upon each other by highlighting foundational practices that lay the groundwork for healthy pastures, management options to consider in anticipation of and in response to drought conditions, and higher-level management practices to further enhance pasture production and efficiency.

On March 5, Kathryn Seebruck, U of I Extension commercial agriculture educator, will bring things back to the basics and set the stage for the series with topics like fertility, weed control, pasture species selection and stocking rate information.

On March 12, Jay Solomon, U of I Extension natural resources, environment and energy educator, will speak on “Innovations in Grazing,” covering topics on fencing and water considerations for rotational grazing.

Also on this evening, Travis Meteer, U of I Extension beef cattle specialist, will speak on “Taking the Next Step in Better Grazing,” talking about balancing plant and animal production and new grazing technologies to facilitate better grazing.

For the final session on March 19, Joshua Michel, Iowa State University Extension field agronomist, will talk about drought management, covering topics such as sacrificial paddocks, supplemental feeding sources and emergency haying and grazing on certain Conservation Reserve Program practices.

Cost is $5 per session. To register or for more information, visit go.illinois.edu/jsw, or call 815-858-2273.