The University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and Cooperative Extension Service invite livestock producers and agribusiness professionals to attend one of two Kentucky Grazing Conference events on Tuesday, Oct. 28, in Winchester and Thursday, Oct. 30, in Leitchfield. 

An additional workshop on Oct. 29 in Elizabethtown will be provided to give producers more time with featured grazing consultant Jim Gerrish of American GrazingLands Services in a small group setting.

“We’re excited to welcome University of Kentucky Plant and Soil Sciences alum Jim Gerrish back to the Commonwealth,” said Chris Teutsch, extension forage specialist and associate professor. “Jim is a well-known expert on regenerative grazing, owning and operating his own ranch, and has innovative ideas on how to improve cow-calf profitability.”

The theme for this year’s Kentucky Grazing Conference is “Grazing for Profit: Optimizing Returns in Grass-Based Operations.” Both days will include presentations on managing expenses and costs in livestock operations, breeding functional livestock, nutrient cycling in grassland ecosystems, forage management for shifting weather patterns, bale grazing and more.

In addition to Gerrish, the conference will feature presentations by Cody Rakes of Loretto Motherhouse Farm and UK faculty Greg Halich, Ricardo Riberio and Teutsch. 

Both events begin at 7:30 a.m. local time and wrap up around 3:30 p.m. Lunch is included in the $45 registration fee; student registration is $25. 

• The Oct. 28 Kentucky Grazing Conference will be held at the Clark County Extension Office at 1400 Fortune Drive in Winchester
• The Oct. 30 Kentucky Grazing Conference will be held at the Grayson County Extension Office at 64 Quarry Road in Leitchfield 

Profitability Workshop

An additional, deep-dive profitability workshop with Gerrish will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at the Hardin County Extension Office at 111 Opportunity Way in Elizabethtown. 

Gerrish will examine factors impacting profitability and outline cost-effective solutions for increasing net return in ruminant livestock operations.

The morning session, beginning at 9 a.m. ET, will explore topics such as ranching as a land management business, feed costs and profitability, individual animal performance and whole-ranch profitability, cow size and profitability, and finding balance between cow-calf production and custom feeding.

The afternoon session will explore topics including stock water development, reseeding pastures and conducting financial analysis.

Registration is $100 and is limited to 35 participants. 

To register for the Kentucky Grazing Conference, Profitability Workshop or other fall forage, fencing and livestock grazing events, visit https://forages.mgcafe.uky.edu/events.

For additional information, please contact Caroline Roper at caroline.roper@uky.edu or 270-704-6618.

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By Jennifer Elwell, jennifer.elwell@uky.edu

The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services to individuals and institutions that provide equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status.