The Penn Soil Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council co-sponsored a Grazing Workshop on Friday, August 16.

The event was held from 10 a.m to 2:30 p.m. at the John Holden Farm, 396 Takitezy Road, Franklin. John and Kelly Holden were the hosts for the field day. 45 people were in attendance to discuss grazing techniques.

The event was open to the public and cost $5 to attend, which included lunch.

The Holden’s pasture red Angus cattle in an intensively-managed grazing system. The couple is new to adaptive grazing management and held the workshop in order to discuss their experiences in the installation and use of their grazing system.

Russ Wilson, a noted adaptive grazing practitioner, from Wilson Land and Cattle Company, was the man on hand to discuss the maximization of forage yields through evacuating intensity, duration and timing of the grazing event of the livestock.

Wilson also discussed some of the advantages of high stock density grazing and time and money-saving tips he’s learned over the years.

A tour of the Holden Farm was also included with admission to the workshop. During the tour, the group reviewed details of some of the recently installed facilities on the farm including the watering system, fencing and prescribed grazing practices. Pasture condition, forage identification and soil health information were also topics of discussion.

The workshop benefited grass-based livestock producers. It was co-sponsored by PA Grazing Lands Coalition, Northwest PA Project Grass, Penn Soil Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council, Penn State Cooperative Extension, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Venango County Conservation District.