The Lamar County Soil & Water Conservation District continued its Beef Cattle 101 Educational Series in September and October 2019, presenting topics related to grazing system options and optimal soil health solutions for beginning farmers in the Piedmont soils area. The USDA—Natural Resources Conservation Service has partnered with the Conservation District in order to provide technical and financial assistance for the series. The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service in Lamar/Upson Counties has also served as a project partner and technical guide throughout the 10 programs.
The September 19, 2019, program was presented in Thomaston, Georgia, with topics related to grazing systems for cattle (Carmen Westerfield, USDA-NRCS District Conservationist), basic forages (Steve Morgan, UGA Extension Coordinator for Harris and Talbot Counties), and successfully interpreting your own soils report for your farm (Hailey Robinson, UGA Extension Coordinator for Lamar and Upson Counties).
The October 17, 2019, program was presented at the Barnesville-Lamar County Library, with topics presented related to the impacts of management on grazing systems and soil health (Philip Brown, USDA-NRCS Grazing Specialist) and components of a successful grazing system (Carmen Westerfield, USDA-NRCS District Conservationist). The program ended with a presentation of NRCS’ rainfall simulator, which Mr. Brown used to show the effects of a proper grazing and foraging system for farmers in the long-range planning of a farm’s grazing system. Attached are pictures from each of the programs that highlight the effectiveness of hands-on demonstrations and engaging the guests in a more impactful way.
The District recently received the Conservation Innovation Grant from NRCS with the goal of effectively educating citizens in topics related to soil health principles, herd health—which is important in developing an overall grazing system—as well as conservation and technical assistance available to farmers and producers. Please contact District Program Coordinator Wesley Doyle for more information related to (or to register for) the Beef Cattle 101 Educational Series, which continues monthly—excluding December 2019—until June 2020.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. If you need any accommodations for this event, please contact Wesley Doyle at wesley.doyle@ga.usda.gov or (770) 358-0787 ex. 3 at least 14 days prior to the event.
*This material is based upon work supported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Conservation Innovation Grant number NR194310XXXXC018. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
