The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Marshfield and Lancaster Agricultural Research Stations will each host a 2-day, in-depth school for novice and seasoned graziers. The Marshfield School will take place on Aug. 8 and 9, while the Lancaster School will be held on Sep. 22 and 23.

The school includes hands-on field experiences for farmers, time in the pasture, and networking opportunities with other graziers and teaching staff. Participants will be offered a wide range of core skills such as estimating pasture yield, calculating paddock size, making routine livestock moves on pasture, and setting up the fence and using fencing equipment.

The Marshfield station is located in Stratford, Wisconsin in a region of the state with the highest concentration of dairy farms. The station practices rotational grazing on more than 100 acres of pastureland and focuses on conservation practices and intensive rotational grazing.

The Lancaster station, located in Grant County on hills and valleys typical of southwest Wisconsin, has maintained a beef grazing herd since the 1960s. Lancaster’s rotational grazing and pasture management on 200 acres will provide an outdoor hands-on experience for participants of the grazing school.

Registration is currently open. Class size is limited. To register and see the class agenda, visit the Wisconsin School of Grazing website.

The Marshfield station is located at 208356 Drake Ave., Stratford, and the Lancaster station is located at 7396 WI-35 & 81, Lancaster. For more information on the Grazing Schools, email Beth Heinze at outreach@grassworks.org.

The station will make a reasonable effort to provide disability accommodations for field day participants when notified in advance. To request a disability accommodation, please contact ars_accommodation@cals.wisc.edu at least 10 days in advance of the event. Efforts will be made to meet same-day requests to the extent possible.

The Grazing Schools are a partnership between GrassWorks, the University of Wisconsin Marshfield and Lancaster Agricultural Research Stations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and University of Wisconsin Extension.