<h1>The 2019 Appalachian Grazing Conference is scheduled for Mar. 7-9 at the Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place Hotel in Morgantown.</h1> The conference theme is: “Create a Winning Combination- managing soil, water, plant and animal health.” The conference will focus on farm economics, conservation strategies and how to sustain productivity for the long haul. Attendees will learn a lot about the management of the key elements of soil, water, plants and animal health to improve grasslands. “Our goal is to send farmers home with an understanding about management strategies that will improve the grassland on their property - and benefit their animals and our natural resources,” said Joe Gumm, chairman of the Appalachian Grazing Conference Planning Committee. “The conference presents a great opportunity to learn from the presenters and connect with numerous vendors who will be displaying new technology and equipment.” Keynote speakers for the conference are Sarah Flack and Dr. Allen Williams. Flack is the author of “The Art and Science of Grazing,” as well as “Organic Dairy Production.” She is a consultant who specializes in grass-based and organic livestock production. Sarah’s approach in her consulting, writing and teaching is to empower farmers to create their own individualized management systems that can work successfully for them, their farm and family goals. Williams, a sixth-generation family farmer, pioneered many of the early adaptive grazing protocols and forage finishing techniques and has spent the last 15 years refining those methods. He has been a professor at Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State universities and his major areas of research and business focus include soil health, cover crop/livestock integration, adaptive forage and grazing management, and high attribute pasture-based meat production. The event begins with a pre-conference bus tour Thursday afternoon of WVU’s Animal Science Farm facilities on Stewartstown Road in Morgantown. The tour and a dinner at the Clubhouse Grill at The Pines ($35 total cost) will include visits to the new dairy cow loafing barn and apple orchard, as well as discussions of a grazing management project and small ruminant research projects. With more than 20 breakout sessions on Friday and Saturday, guests at the conference will be sure to find an agriculture management topic to benefit their operation’s interests. Topics include animal health, soil health, weed control, fencing and watering systems, grass-fed livestock, farm apps, drought management, managing Tall Fescue, and other grassland management strategies. The 2019 Appalachian Grazing Conference will benefit new and seasoned producers by providing an opportunity for all attendees to gain knowledge and information on how to enhance their current operations. There will be informative presentations and demonstrations of interest to those with cattle, goats and sheep. With a reasonable registration fee of only $150, the Appalachian Grazing Conference is an excellent value. To register online, visit wvagc.com. For more information contact Jim Foster at 304-349-4985 or by email at jefoster63@hotmail.com. The Appalachian Grazing Conference is a cooperative effort of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, State Conservation Commission; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (Pennsylvania and West Virginia); West Virginia Association of Conservation Districts; West Virginia Conservation Agency; West Virginia University (WVU) Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design; and the WVU Cooperative Extension Service.
