The goal of PFI’s grazing program is to help our grazier members become more profitable, more sustainable, and better stewards of their grazing lands. PFI has seven grazing clusters in different areas of Iowa, with over 100 cluster members participating. The members of our grazing clusters are diverse, including beef producers (cow-calf operations, grass finishers, and organic beef producers), sheep and goat producers, and dairy graziers. The clusters hold pasture walks to share ideas, host workshops with experts in different aspects of grazing management including grass and forage management, animal genetics, livestock handling, marketing, and more. In addition to cluster activities, PFI members host many field days with grazing topics every year, in addition to a grazing/livestock track at the annual PFI conference.
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PFI has several current grazing-related research and demonstration projects. We are comparing the resilience of different farming systems, by measuring water infiltration, soil carbon and nitrogen, and stable aggregate content. The farming systems being compared are rotational grazing, continuous grazing, and row crops. We also have several producers testing out ways to successfully graze cover crops. One pilot project started this year is looking at different tools and indicators to measure ecological and productivity changes as pasture management is improved. The areas being monitored for this study are wildlife and plant diversity, forage production and quality, animal performance, and economics. PFI has four scales located throughout the state for our farmers to weigh their cattle to measure performance.
Questions, comments or suggestions? Contact Kevin Dietzel, kevin@practicalfarmers.org or 515-232-5661 ext. 307.
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