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Biology of Grazing Lands Workshop Set for Jan. 3-5

During the first two days of the workshop, the biology of soil microorganisms will be discussed.

A biology of grazing lands workshop will be held Jan. 3-5, 2018, at the North Dakota State University Dickinson Research Extension Center.

The workshop will be held in the DREC’s Red Office Building on the corner of State Avenue and Empire Road in Dickinson. The workshop will run each day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mountain time.

“Many livestock producers are still managing their pastures without the advantages of a fully functional soil microorganism population,” says Lee Manske, research professor at the DREC. “Enhancement of soil organism activity is not a new concept, but it does require specialized knowledge and a paradigm shift to make it work correctly.

“Active soil microorganisms recycle the essential nutrients required for grass plants to grow at biological potential rates and for livestock to perform at potential genetic levels,” Manske notes. “This results in generation of greater wealth captured per acre without detriment to future production.”

During the first two days of the workshop, the biology of soil microorganisms and the symbiotic partnership among perennial grass plants, soil organisms and grazing animals will be discussed. The workshop also will cover grazing management time periods coordinated with the plant phenological growth stages needed to increase productivity of these three ecosystem components.

The information covered in the workshop can be downloaded to a laptop computer or color printer for free. Go to http://www.grazinghandbook.com/ and download the reports: Biologically Effective Management of Grazing Lands and Biogeochemical Processes of Prairie Ecosystems. Bring these reports and a notebook to the workshop. Hard copies will be available for $70.

The third day is for producers with ArcGIS maps of their ranches who would like to learn how to develop and properly operate a biologically effective management strategy. This strategy will include using a twice-over rotational grazing on summer pastures in conjunction with a complete 12-month complementary pasture and harvested forage sequence specific for their ranch.

Information needed for this portion of the workshop also is available at http://www.grazinghandbook.com/. Download these reports: Evaluation and Development of Forage Management Strategies for Range Cows, Methods for Development of Biologically Effective Management Strategies and Increasing Value Captured from the Land Natural Resources. Bring these reports, a calculator and notebook to the workshop. Hard copies will be available for $80.

There is no cost to attend the workshop, although lodging, transportation and meals are the responsibility of the participants. Coffee and bottled water will be provided.

To register for the workshop, email Manske at llewellyn.manske@ndsu.edu or call 701-456-1118 or 701-456-1120. Please provide your name, ground mailing address and telephone number. If more than one person will attend from your ranch, please provide the name of each person.


NDSU Agriculture Communication – Nov. 20, 2017

Source:Lee Manske, 701-456-1118, llewellyn.manske@ndsu.edu
Editor:Kelli Anderson, 701-231-6136, kelli.c.anderson@ndsu.edu
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