The past few summers have been dry and hot across much of the Midwest, leaving many livestock producers short of pasture in July and August. Producers can learn the latest strategies to insure healthy summer pastures at Forage Systems Research Center’s summer pasture workshop March 19 at 1:30 p.m.

Located near Linneus, Mo., the Center is one of 17 around the state at which the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources(CAFNR) at the University of Missouri conducts impactful research benefitting Missouri farmers.

Sorghum sudangrass ready to be grazed

The workshop will begin with presentations, but Superintendent Dave Davis said much of the afternoon will be an open dialogue between producers and researchers. Weather permitting, attendees will take a short tour of FSRC’s pastures.

Robert Kallenbach, MU professor of plant science and forage specialist, will present his research on a variety of summer annual forages, including Sorghum-sudangrass with a brown midrib trait, which makes the fiber more digestible by livestock, and the dwarf trait variety that produces less stem and more leaf, making it highly palatable and nutritious. Kallenbach will also discuss interseeding strategies and optimal pasture management to prepare for dry, hot conditions.

Davis said they’ll address the dos and don’ts of cover cropping as well. “We want to make the mistakes so producers don’t have to,” he said.

Allen Powell has a cow/calf operation near FSRC and sits on its advisory board. Powell said there are many producers in Missouri looking for grazing strategies for the challenging conditions they’ve experienced the last few years. “If we develop healthy soils that will mean healthy grass, healthy animals and healthy people,” Powell said.

The event is free and open to the public. To register, contact David Davis at DavisDK@missouri.edu or 660-895-5121 http://aes.missouri.edu/fsrc/

CAFNR is changing the core components of society that impact what we eat, where we live and how we’ll face tomorrow. As the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, we are at the forefront of research and education, working toward global sustainability.