|
|
Natural Resource Conservation Service,
UK Team Up to Improve Grazing Options
By
Laura Skillman
 BOWLING
GREEN, Ky., (Nov. 21, 2007) – Partnerships allow two people or
entities to pool their strengths with the combination stronger
than either could be on their own. The University of Kentucky
College of Agriculture and federal Natural Resource Conservation
Service have pooled their expertise in Kentucky for many years
to provide the best possible information to farmers on grazing
strategies for their livestock.
“We have a common goal – we want profitable, environmentally
sound and locally beneficial grazing systems on Kentucky farms
regardless of the species you are trying to raise,” said Jimmy
Henning, associate dean for extension and associate director of
the UK Cooperative Extension Service.
“We feel like the best product we can offer is not going to come
fully from us or fully from NRCS, so we work together providing
a product for our producers,” he said. “The product I’m talking
about is a grazing system that does a good job with available
forages, lays out paddocks efficiently and at a least cost, and
puts together water systems.”
Mike Hubbs, NRCS state conservationist, said it is always better
to work together because it allows more conservation and
extension education to reach producers.
“I try to keep it simple; extension is your education arm and
NRCS is your technical arm,” he said. “Conservation planning is
our bread and butter and what we bring to the table to provide a
grazing management program to, first and foremost, provide
optimum forage to the livestock, which will benefit the producer
and benefit the soil and land resource.”
“Our mission statement is helping people help the land, and with
our partnership with Cooperative Extension and other partners we
hope to do that,” Hubbs said.
Henning said the two agencies have worked together for many
years beginning with representatives of both traveling together
to garner information on grazing management programs in other
states and progressing to holding field days and meetings that
are co-planned and co-conducted.
UK’s forage-based research farm at Woodford County, which is
also home to the new U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal
Research Unit, is a tremendous assist to the partnership,
Henning said. Some of the other strengths UK brings to the
program are its rotational grazing research, new forage variety
and species research and evaluation, and grazing tolerance and
preference research for cattle, horses and goats.
“We develop resources and programs to take the information from
our research and put it into your hands,” Henning said. “NRCS
works to ensure the technical aspects for grazing systems are in
place. We hope Kentucky’s farmers have benefited and will
continue to benefit from this great relationship between NRCS
and the University of Kentucky for years.”
|
|
Contact: Jimmy Henning, 859-257-4302
Mike Hubbs, 859-224-7350
|
|
The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
Questions/Comments,
e-mail the
webmaster
Copyright © 2001-2006 University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture,
Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service |
News Home
Other Headlines This Week
More
News
Atom (RSS) Now Available
for those
using news aggregation programs
College News
|
