CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Are you a beef producer hoping to improve your environmental and economic outcomes? A row crop farmer looking for a herd to graze your cover crops, or looking to add livestock into your rotation? Or, maybe you’re a landowner exploring additional revenue streams? Regenerative grazing may be a practical option for you to achieve your goals while building healthy soils and supporting farm profitability.
The Champaign County Soil and Water Conservation District, The Land Connection, University of Illinois Extension, and The Pasture Project at the Wallace Center are excited to offer an in-person field day exploring regenerative grazing this September. The field day will feature five stations that small groups of participants will rotate through for a hands-on learning experience. Soil and Water (1.0) and Crop Management (1.5) Certified Crop Adviser CEUs will be available.
The field day will take place on Wednesday, September 8, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on a farm near Gays, Illinois. Registration and check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. and lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m. The five stations include:
- “About the Farm” led by Lyle Wetzel, farmer, and Bobby Orman, herd manager
- “Assessing Forage Quality and Calculating Biomass” led by Ted Krauskopf, Hickory Flat Cattle Company
- “Herd Health” led by Travis Meteer, Commercial Ag Educator specializing in beef research, University of Illinois Extension
- “Water and Fencing” led by Matt Bunger, Illinois State Grazing Specialist, IL NRCS
- “Soil Health and Water Quality” led by Cliff Schuette, Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative
“There aren’t as many cattle in this part of the state as there used to be, and some of that local knowledge has disappeared.” said Lauren Spaniol, Resource Conservationist with Coles County SWCD. “It’s fantastic that there’s a group of farmers and educators from Central Illinois working together to bring some of that diversity back to the area, while also promoting the use of more modern, regenerative grazing practices that can benefit soil health and water quality in the region.”
Registration for the field day is currently live on The Land Connection’s website at https://thelandconnection.org/event/grazing-field-day/. Registration is $30, and a $10 discount is available to those who participated in our online regenerative grazing series in February 2021. Please contact Cassidy Dellorto-Blackwell at cassidy@thelandconnection.org or 217-840-2128 if you have registration questions or accessibility requests, or to redeem your discount for participation in our online series.
All field day attendees are asked to follow current CDC and Illinois Department of Public Health safety guidelines. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available for your use. Attendance will be limited based on current CDC guidance to create a safe environment.
— University of Illinois Extension
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