Ninth Annual Winter Green-Up Grazing Conference January 28th

   The Ninth Annual Winter Green-Up Grazing Conference will be held Saturday, January 28, 2017 at The Century House in Latham, NY, from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
   The Winter Green-Up Grazing Conference is a nationally known event which made its debut in 2009 and has been held annually since. This year’s Winter Green-Up will continue the tradition of well-known national and local speakers who bring a wealth of knowledge in the areas of soils, grazing and sustainable agriculture.
   This year’s impressive lineup of speakers includes Blaine Hitzfield from Seven Sons Farm in Roanoke, Indiana. Blaine will tell the story of how Seven Sons Farm moved from a traditional row crop, livestock confinement operation to their current pasture-based, stacked enterprise model.
   Dr. Rachel Gilker, editor of the electronic newsletter, On Pasture, has a deep passion for sustainable agriculture and grazing. She spent three years doing her doctoral research with Maryland Dairy Farms, using management intensive grazing. Rachel will talk about compaction in your pasture and maximizing your soil’s health.
   Doug Carmichael, from the Michigan State University Lake City Research Station has managed 810 acres of land and 180 beef cows in a grass based livestock finishing program. Doug will discuss how to enhance winter gains to finish grass-fed animals in 18 months.
   Our fourth speaker is someone many of you may know, Phyllis VanAmburgh of Dharma Lea Farm in Sharon Springs, NY. Phyllis and her husband, Paul, own a 100% grass-fed dairy, which was one of the first grass-fed dairy farms in the country. Phyllis is the director and chief educator of the Agrarian Learning Center and The Savory Institute. Phyllis will present information on using holistic resource management in a pasture-based dairy and beef operation.
   To register for Winter Green-Up 2017, contact Tove Ford at (518)765-3518 or register online at https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/WGU2017_201. The cost to attend the Winter Green-Up Conference is a bargain at $75.00.