Pasture seminars    

[JUNE 25, 2004]  URBANA -- Producers interested in making their pastures more fertile and profitable may want to consider attending one of three University of Illinois Extension Pasture Specie Selection and Management seminars scheduled July 15-16. The July 15 seminars will be in Carrollton and Springfield and the July 16 seminar in Lewistown.

"Some of the most knowledgeable forage agronomists in the Midwest will headline the meetings," said Dave Seibert, U of I Extension animal systems educator based in East Peoria. "With the proper species, fertility and management, pastures can be one of the most profitable areas for agriculture.

"However, most pastures are not developed to their potential, and the resulting performance of the livestock grazing those pastures is disappointing."

Expert agronomists will discuss the various pasture forage species and will talk about combining them into mixtures to provide high-quality grazing throughout the year. Techniques to extend the grazing season into winter and improve fertility are also on the agenda.

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Participants should preregister by July 12. There is a $10 registration fee for the Lewistown and Carrollton locations. Late and at-door registration for those locations is $15. At the Springfield location, there is no registration fee but participants must preregister.

To register or obtain information about times and locations, contact the local Extension office. For the Lewistown seminar, contact Rhonda Ferree at the Fulton County Extension office, [phone]. Diane Duewer at the Sangamon County Extension office, [phone], is the contact for the Springfield seminar. For the Carrollton seminar, contact Rick Keim at Greene County Extension, [phone].

[University of Illinois news release]

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