Although Kentucky has experienced plenty of rainfall in the past few weeks, drought conditions in 2007, 2008 and 2010 caused a severe thinning of pastures and hayfields in Eastern Kentucky. The University of Kentucky’s Robinson Center for Appalachian Resource Sustainability (RCARS) is offering a livestock forage workshop for its next installment of the Mountain Monday Series May 9.

The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. EDT at the center’s auditorium in Jackson. UK Extension Forage Specialist Ray Smith will lead the workshop and offer a review of the UK College of Agriculture’s latest variety trials for red clover, tall fescue and orchardgrass.

Smith will also discuss the cost effectiveness of improved forage varieties and help participants determine what types of forage make sense for their farms. He’ll discuss the advantages of using a no-till drill for overseeding and show producers how to calibrate a no-till drill to insure the proper seeding depth and rate.

Participants will also learn about grazing management and compare rotational grazing methods to continuous grazing methods. Smith will show producers the dramatic results rotational grazing can give their herds and bottom line. The program should wrap up around 8:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Jackie Allen at 606-666-2438, ext. 285.

The Mountain Monday Series is the second Monday of each month. Future Mountain Monday topics will include blueberry production and food preservation in June, pasture poultry production in July and a cutting board workshop in August. The series will also stream live on the Internet at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mountainmonday. This installment of the Mountain Monday Series is sponsored by the Mountain Cattlemen’s Association and the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association.

For more information about RCARS programs, visit the website at http://www2.ca.uky.edu/RCARS .