Grazing Support

Capital RC&D's ​grazing support program promotes resources for new and experienced graziers in our region and throughout Pennsylvania, such as the farmer-to-farmer grazing advisement program; support for the Franklin and Lebanon County Grazing Networks and the PA Grazing Lands Coalition (PA-GLC).  
For more in-depth information about specific grazing support topics, select from the following: 
Resources: links to materials, tools, and general information 
Advisors: learn more about Capital RC&D Grazing Advisors and how they support regional graziers
Education: access podcasts, recordings of webinars, and videos featuring Pennsylvania graziers 

Capital RC&D is now co-producing The Graziers Grapevine podcast!

Episode 29: Are You Kidding? Pt. 1, Episode 30: Are You Kidding? Pt. 2
Guest host, Cheryl Burns, speaks with  Ann Basehore Starbard, author of The Dairy Goat Handbook and Capital RC&D Grazing Advisor, about preparing for and providing support to does and ewes during birth.

Now available:  Pasture Condition Score and Step Point Training for Conservation Professionals and Farmers

This video is to support conservation staff training and to provide farmers assistance in scoring their pastures using the Pasture Condition Score (PCS) and step point techniques. Funding for this resource was provided by the Mountains-to-Bay Grazing Alliance and with the technical support of USDA-NRCS staff in Pennsylvania and from the USDA-NRCS East National Technology Support Center.

Grazing Advisor Webinar Series

Recorded on March 2, 2021 
Grazing & Pasture Management in Pennsylvania, Available Resources for Good Practices (webinar)
This webinar is designed for the less experienced grazier and will provide an overview of key topics that graziers need to understand, like soil health, weed management, pasture management, animal health, stewardship practices, available educational or technical resources, and introduce the Capital RC&D Grazing Advisor program. 
Presented by Ann Basehore and Donna Foulk​

Recording Available Here
Recorded on March 9. 2021
Pasture – The Balancing Act (webinar)
This webinar provides more detailed information about assessing livestock nutritional needs and the capacity of available pastures. Discussion will also focus on methods available to minimize a forage or nutritional shortage. 
​Presented by Titus Martin


​

Recording Available Here

Capital RC&D Grazing Advisor Program

Since 2008, Capital RC&D grazing advisors have provided one-to-one technical advice about a variety of grazing topics to farmers and graziers throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed in Pennsylvania, including all counties within the Capital RC&D region. The advisors pull from their combined 90+ years of experience raising a variety of livestock, implementing best management practices for pastures, record keeping, and transitioning to different grazing systems. They're available to help new and experienced graziers address issues such as pasture improvement, fencing, grazing planning, weed management, soil health, and forage species selection among other grazing-related topics. 
To learn more about the program, visit the Grazing Advisors page,  contact info@capitalrcd.org or view the Rotational Grazing/Pasture Management Farmer-to-Farmer Technical Advisement handout.

Cover Crop Grazing Project

​In July 2019, Capital RC&D kicked-off a two year cover crop grazing project, funded through a National Fish & Wildlife Foundation’s Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant, that examines the inclusion of a grazed cover crop as part of a regular crop rotation on livestock farms. The project, Promoting Grazing and Cover Cropping by Developing Better Practice Information, Outreach and Cost-sharing, will develop and share best practices for grazing cover crops and soil health, follow the progress of four beef farms implementing cover crop grazing systems, as well as providing cost share for grazing infrastructure and technical assistance to farmers in the Capital RC&D region.  
In addition to Capital RC&D staff, the project team includes researchers from Penn State University, Grazing Specialists from USDA-NRCS, Grazing Advisors from Capital RC&D, as well as support from staff at Capital RC&D region conservation districts and the PA-Grazing Lands Coalition.

A summary of the results of the study can be read here.

Sign-up here to receive email notification about project related information, event details, and announcements about new videos and PA-GLC Graziers Grapevine podcasts. 

Case Study Videos

Cover Crop Grazing Project Research

Graziers Grapevine Podcast, Cover Crop Grazing Episodes

The Graziers Grapevine podcast will feature a series of episodes about the cover crop grazing project. These episodes will feature interviews the farmers, researchers, and advisers who are participating in the project, as well as guests who can address key topics related to implementing grazing as part of a cropping system. All of the Graziers Grapevine podcast episodes are available on the PA GLC website, iTunes, or Spotify. Episodes directly related to the project are available below:
Another component of the cover crop grazing project is to provide cost share for grazing projects that convert cropland or extensively grazed pasture into rotationally grazed pasture. Farms that were eligible and awarded funding are located within the Capital RC&D region (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York counties) and are implementing projects including exterior fencing, interior fencing, stabilized stream access points, stabilized stream crossings, alternative livestock watering systems, stabilized livestock walkways, or any other best management practice (BMP) associated with rotational grazing. Funding for the cost share is provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Chesapeake Bay Foundation. 

Additional Grazing Support

PA GLC 2018 Video Series

The PA GLC collaborated with Capital RC&D and graziers throughout Pennsylvania, to produce four videos highlighting important topics within the grazing community. 

Conservation Innovation Grant

In 2014, Capital RC&D was awarded funds from Pennsylvania NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) Program as a matching grant to conduct a project entitled, Employing Short-Term Adaptive Management Strategies to Improve Pasture Soil Health and Climate change resilience on Prescribed Grazing Operations.  This three year project was designed to address the long-term impact of prescribed grazing management targeting soil health and pasture resilience. The project will work with farms to address both improved prescribed grazing and also four focus areas: 1. Multi-species forages, 2. Flash grazing of riparian areas, 3. Invasive species control and 4. Soil organic matter improvement. 

​Successful grazers take the role of Grazing Advisor or Champion and are selected for their experience in managing with respect to the focus areas (Locations of Grazing Champions are shown on map below). One of the several deliverables of this project are video testimonies to document project progress and showcase innovative techniques used by producers working with the project. The videos below highlight the six Grazing Champions who participated for the 2014 round of the project.

​2015-2016 follow-up videos are now viewable via the CapitalRCD YouTube Channel or by selecting the appropriate link below:
​Advancing On-Farm Understanding and Application of Silvopasture Technologies in Pennsylvania
In 2013, several partners including the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania Grazing Lands Coalition, USDA's Agricultural Research Service, and USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, utilized grant funding through Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research Education (SARE) program to collaborate with Dickinson College Farm in Boiling Springs, PA and Wyebrook farm in honeybrook, pa and began a multiyear project to investigate and apply adaptive management for silvopasture establishment in both woody and open pasture environments. This video features thoughts an reflections of project participants including successes, issues experienced during the course of the project, and thoughts for the future.  


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