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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Cattle producers are invited to learn about wildlife native grass habitat benefits and how pastures provide grazing benefits for livestock during Native Warm Season Grass Pasture Tour set for 6 – 8 p.m. Aug. 3 at Charlie Besher’s Farm in Patton.
The free outdoor workshop is a combined effort of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), Quail Forever, and Bollinger County SWCD.
More information can be found online here. Please RSVP and request accommodations to participate by contacting Beth or Megan at (573) 238-2671 ext. 3 by July 26.
Experts will explain how quality soils are at the foundations of native warm-season grass pastures. The event will also include in-field observations and discussions of how these principles are utilized on a working cattle farm.
An increasing number of cattle producers are rediscovering the benefits of native warm-season grasses. Adding warm-season grass areas to a grazing system that already features cool-season grass creates a forage system that allows livestock owners to keep their herds feeding on high quality forage for a longer period.
There are benefits for wildlife, too. Warm-season grasses begin growth later in the year and are not ready to be grazed or hayed until late summer. By then, most of the ground-nesting wildlife that need these plants for habitats have hatched their broods.
Charlie Besher’s Farm is located at RR 5 Box 2402 in Patton, near Meadow Heights School.
More information about using warm-season grasses in a livestock grazing operation can be found at mdc.mo.gov.
