Mass Grass Pasture-based farmers, NOFA/Mass, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), University of Massachusetts Extension and other groups have been meeting to organize education programs and initiatives relating to pastures. For more information contact Winton Pitcoff, NOFA/Mass, Email or 413-634-5728; Stephen Herbert Email, Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst. ph. 413-545-2250, or Carrie Sears Email, Univ. of Mass., Amherst. ph. 413-549-3257; or Tom Akin, NRCS, at 413-253-4365 or Email. Activites include, but are not limited to the areas listed below. Click on each topic as the description may be brief and they are linked to a seperate page. Grazing School - August 9, 2008 Beginning and experienced graziers who would like to learn about the tools and resources needed to develop grazing systems and how to improve animal growth or production through better pasture management are invited to attend a Grazing School to be held as part of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Summer Conference on Saturday, August 9th. To register for the Mass Grass Grazing School, visit the NOFA Summer Conference website at www.nofamass.org/conferences/s2008/index.php. Grazing School workshops are part of the summer conference. The Grazing School offers seven workshops, including a pasture walk at the UMass South Deerfield Farm and Pasture Research Center. All summer conference attendees are welcome to participate in the Grazing School workshops, which include: 8:00 – 9:30 Principles of Dairy Nutrition on Pasture Finishing Meat Animals on Pasture 10:00 – 11:30 Behavior Based Animal Management 1:00 – 2:30 The Economic Benefits of Intensive Grazing 3:00 – 5:00 Pasture walk at the UMass Pasture Center 7:00 Summer Conference Keynote Speaker The Grazing School is organized by Mass Grass, a state-wide grazing group of Massachusetts livestock farmers, leaders and educators from agricultural organizations, including UMass Extension, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Northeast Organic Farming Association, Massachusetts Chapter. For more information about the Grazing School workshops contact Kate Rossiter, NOFA/Mass Organic Dairy Coordinator, (413) 498-2721, or krossiter@nofamass.org. Grazing School Sponsors Bart’s Homemade NOFA/Mass Summer Conference at UMass August 8-10, 2008 2008 Pasture Walks - NOFA/Mass, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the University of Massachusetts Extension have organized these Grazing Workshops as a continuing education resource for Massachusetts farmers. Topics at each event will vary, but will include pasture management, organic transition and herd health, forage species, soil fertility, fencing and water systems, and summer and winter grazing. All pasture walks will take place from 10:00 - 1:00 (unless otherwise noted). Please bring your own lunch. For more information on any of these sessions, contact Winton Pitcoff, NOFA/Mass; Stephen Herbert, UMass; or Tom Akin, NRCS. More details about each of these sessions, including directions to the farms, can be found at the link above or at www.nofamass.org/programs/organicdairy/index.php. In breif the pasture walks are: Transitioning a Dairy Herd from Winter to Summer Feed Small Ruminant Management Transitioning to Organic Dairy / NRCS Resources Organic Dairy Transition Raising and Marketing Grass-Fed Meat Small Scale Dairies and Alternative Forages Infrastructure on Mixed-Livestock Farms Pasture Management Research at UMass Upper Northeast Pasture Center
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