South Central Hosts Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition Summer Grazing Tour

     Mark your calendars for the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition (NGLC) –Nebraska Cattlemen (NC) – UNL Extension joint Summer Grazing Tour scheduled for June 16, 2015 in South Central Nebraska. The tour starts with registration beginning at 7:30 am at the Webster County Fairgrounds near Bladen, Nebraska. The participants will then combine rides to carpool to the points of interest of the tour. Stops are highlighted below:
     Jim and Betty Choquette, Upland, NE: Jim and Betty have been effectively grazing native range and cover crops for many years and this tour stop will feature much to be learned about soil, water, grass and cattle. Soil concepts will include irrigated cover crops to enhance soil health, cover crops to winter calves economically, temperature and moisture differences in soil between tall reseeded grass and short grasses and soil organic matter differences. Water concepts will feature the use of portable tanks, Cobett tanks and both portable water lines and chiseling in underground lines for winter use. Grass features include number of acres and varieties of grasses reseeded, pasture farming and Eastern Gama grass. Cattle discussion on rotational grazing, grazing year round, and genetic selection for easy fleshing cattle (how to get by without feeding cows) and cattle that fit Jim’s motto “ Cows that work for me; I don’t work for the cows”.
     Green Cover Seed, Bladen, NE: Green Cover Seed is one of the leading suppliers of cover crop seed mixes in Nebraska and surrounding states.  Owners, Keith and Brian Berns, have been experimenting with cover crops since 2008 and work with hundreds of producers who are using cover crops to improve the health of their soil and provide supplemental grazing for livestock herds.  Demonstration plots of both cool and warm season cover crop species and mixes will be viewed and evaluated as to the potential for grazing.
     Cover Crop Grazing Panel Discussion, Bladen, NE: Come listen to two Nebraska cover crop grazers including Lanny Greenhalgh (Guide Rock) who grazes cover crops for growing cattle, bull development and to enhance the cow herd AI program and Wayne Rasmussen (Plainview) who has been finishing grass fed cattle for about ten years with a strong desire to take care of the land and animals and provide a healthy product for the consumer.
     US Fish and Wildlife Service Wetlands Grazing Demonstration, Campbell, NE: Jensen Waterfowl Production Area is a 468-acre Rainwater Basin wetland managed through prescribed fire, grazing, mechanical and chemical activities. The areas are managed for the benefit of migratory water birds, in particular ducks, geese, and whooping cranes, which are endangered. In dry years, this area is pumped in the spring to provide habitat during spring migration.
     Willa Cather Memorial Prairie, Red Cloud, NE: The Willa Cather Memorial Prairie is a botanical treasure consisting of 612 acres of never-been-plowed native prairie. Members of the Willa Cather Prairie Committee will be present to tell the story of restoring this prairie to where it was when Nebraska’s great author Willa Cather gathered background for her famous stories that sprang from Red Cloud and Webster County in south central Nebraska. You will get a chance to walk across the prairie, view cattle that are grazing the land, and  learn about  responsible grazing practices and the inclusion of controlled burning to limit invasive shrubs, to promote warm season native grasses, and to re-establish natural springs that provide crucial habitat for grassland birds, amphibians, and small mammals. 
     Pre-registration: Registration will include a small fee, which may be paid at the door, which includes a noon lunch and then an evening steak fry provided by the South Central Nebraska Cattlemen’s Association. As a result, pre-registration is required for meal counts by contacting the UNL Extension Office in Webster County (402-746-3417) by Friday, June 12. You can also contact Webster County Extension Ag Educator, Dewey Lienemann @ 402-469-0357 (cell) or email dlienemann2@unl.edu .