A Beginners Grazing School set for Sept. 24-26 at the University of Missouri (MU) research farm in Linn County will cover basics of rotational grazing. The school includes both classroom sessions and pasture exercises at MU’s Forage Systems Research Center (FSRC) and a nearby farm.

Instructors are MU Extension specialists from Columbia and rangeland conservationists from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). They will be joined by panels of producers explaining their use of management-intensive grazing.

On the first day, the topics covered by Extension specialists include grazing economics, nutrient cycling, forage selection, livestock and weed control. The field exercise includes soil sampling and estimating forage quality and yield.

On the second day, NRCS conservations will teach “graziers arithmetic” and how to develop a grazing plan for a farm. The specialists will discuss how to match forage supply to animal needs.

The last part of the school is devoted to developing a real plan for a real farm.

Fee for the three-day session is $250/person or $375/couple, which includes the updated “Missouri Grazing Manual” and other handouts, plus three lunches and two suppers.

To enroll, contact Joetta Roberts at mfgc@mchsi.com or 573-499-0886.