Tuesday, May 28th, marks date one for our 2019 series of Tailgate Talks. These talks are all about forages and their management. This year’s series will be held in various sites across Jefferson County in the Meadowlark Extension District.

Swearngin Angus Ranch will be the host for the first of our three dates. We’ll meet at their headquarters located at 18481 21st (Lawrence) in southeastern Jefferson County at 5:30 p.m. for a light supper sponsored by the First State Bank and Trust. Following supper, we’ll get a brief overview of the ranch from Craig Guffey and Tom Swearngin.

Wear appropriate shoes and clothing because our next stop is the field. There, we’ll talk briefly about grass growth and development as we try to get a good understanding about how what we’re grazing is going to respond to our management. District Livestock and Natural Resources Agent, Jody Holthaus will discuss strategies to overcome the challenges of meeting the nutritional needs of cows out on grass.

NRCS Range Conservationist Dustin Schwandt will also be on hand for the evening. He’ll share information about the range/pasture site and walk participants through how to determine forage volume – both from the standpoint of what they might expect on a particular site, as well as what we might actually see there. All of the speakers will share information on how to measure what you have so it can be adequately managed to meet your needs.

As time allows, we’ll do a brief plant identification and then answer any questions. Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss some of the work being done by Swearngin Angus Ranch from both the animal and the plant side.

We’ll be outside and in the pasture. Feel free to bring a lawn chair and be sure to wear comfortable shoes and clothing.

An RSVP is requested by Friday, May 24th so we can make appropriate meal arrangements. Please do so by contacting the Oskaloosa Office of the Meadowlark Extension District at (785) 863-2212. You can also e-mail me at dhallaue@ksu.edu or Jody Holthaus at jholthau@ksu.edu . We owe a big thanks to First State Bank & Trust for their generous sponsorship of this event.