You’re invited as Underwood Stock Farms (Sullinger Farm) serve as the location for the Hardin County Pasture Walk on Wednesday, May 3. This program will be from 6:00-7:30 pm in a pasture located at 18917 County Road 155 near Ridgeway, Ohio. A pasture walk is an educational program for beef, dairy, sheep, goat, and horse producers who would like to learn how to best manage their livestock pastures and grazing techniques. Underwood Stock Farms is a beef cattle operation, but the principles discussed and questions answered at this event will benefit all types of livestock operations that utilize pasture as part of their livestock operation.
Megan Burgess of the Hardin County Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will be the main instructor along with Gary Wilson, retired Extension agent from Hancock County. Both Burgess and Wilson have served on the Ohio Forage and Grassland Council as well as raise sheep as part of their family farm operations. Topics presented at the pasture walk include evaluating your resources, forage species, matching plant and animal needs, establishing and maintaining pastures, principles of management intensive grazing, using a grazing stick to estimate dry matter and manage pasture rotation, fencing and watering systems, as well as other topics that come up from the participants present at this program.
Each farm operation attending will receive a grazing stick as well as university fact sheets on various pasture related topics and issues. Water and light refreshments will be served. Those planning to attend the Pasture Walk program are asked to call the Hardin County Extension Office at 419-674-2297 or email badertscher.4@osu.edu so that plans can be made for an informative and enjoyable evening.