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Farm Events: |
Farm News: Dairy And Beef Producers - Please Return SurveycommentsPosted: 12.20.2010
Producers using managed grazing will receive a survey in the mail this week asking them to identify current management practices and additional support needed to improve their operations. The Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service is administering the survey.
“One of the goals of the survey is to help us understand what pasture-based livestock producers’ needs are and how our agency can best focus our time and resources to move this environmentally and economically sound practice forward in Wisconsin,” said Laura Paine, Grazing Specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and coordinator of the survey.
About one-fourth of Wisconsin’s over 12,000 dairy producers and 14,000 beef producers use rotational or managed grazing to provide fresh forage for their cattle. Managed grazing is a flexible practice that can be incorporated into any livestock or dairy system. Producers subdivide the pasture into smaller paddocks and move the herd through them systematically.
“Managed grazing is really size-neutral,” said Paine. “While the average herd size is under 100 cows, there are successful pasture-based dairy farms in Wisconsin with over 500 cows.”
“Most producers who adopt managed grazing find that it increases forage production and quality while reducing costs. Many producers also report improved animal health and profitability,” explains Paine. “We’ve also found that well-managed pastures provide high quality habitat for wildlife and reduce soil erosion. It’s a win-win situation that we’d like to encourage more livestock and dairy producers to consider.”
Other cooperating agencies include the University of Wisconsin Extension, UW College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. The survey is being sent out the week of December 20, 2010 and needs by returned by January 7, 2011.
“We hope all producers who receive the surveys will complete and return them,” said Rhonda Gildersleeve, UW Extension Grazing Specialist. “The information generated by this survey will go directly toward making our programs and agency partnerships more responsive to producer needs.”
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