CARLISLE, Pa. — Fall planted cover crops can provide valuable nutrition for grazing livestock when used as part of a grazing system and regular crop rotation. Even though they are grazed, the cover crops will continue to provide soil health benefits by helping to reduce erosion, feed soil microbes and minimize weed pressure in the spring. Successfully integrating cover crop grazing is tied to development of infrastructure, such as perimeter fencing and watering systems, cover crop selection, crop rotation, and training livestock to a grazing system. These topics will be the focus of a pasture walk hosted by Capital RC&D at Kehr Acres in Adams County, Pennsylvania on May 20, 2021 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
Kehr Acres is a crop and beef farm in Littlestown, PA, owned by Matt Kehr and his father David Kehr. They started grazing cover crops in 2020 as part of Capital RC&D’s cover crop grazing initiative, and this spring will graze their herd on a cover crop mix of fall planted rye, ryegrass, crimson clover, and hairy vetch prior to planting corn in June. Matt will share details about their cover crop mix, crop rotation, infrastructure choices and livestock training during the May 20th pasture walk. Technical advisors and researchers will be onsite to share detail about ongoing research and address specific questions.
An additional cover crop grazing pasture walk is scheduled for July 13, 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM with Alan Jaymes, Sylvan Angus, in Mercerburg, PA (Little Cove Valley, Franklin County).
Registration is requested to meet appropriate physical distancing requirements and can be made online at www.capitalrcd.org by emailing info@capitalrcd.org, or by calling 717-241-4361- please leave a message for extension 15.
Capital RC&D’s Promoting Grazing and Cover Cropping by Developing Better Practice Information, Outreach and Cost-sharing project, a collaboration between researchers from Penn State University, grazing specialists from USDA-NRCS, grazing advisors from Capital RC&D, and researchers from USDA-ARS, that is funded through a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed grant.
–Cheryl Burns, Capital RC&D
