During this all day workshop lead by Sarah Flack you will learn grazing management for transitioning and organic farms. We will learn the basic guidelines of management for intensive and rotational grazing, as well as how to use this information to design or fine tune your farms grazing system. We’ll look at fences, livestock watering systems, practice pasture dry matter estimating, and calculate paddock sizes for cows. We will discuss supplemental feeding strategies, soil fertility and plant selection. We’ll visit many types of pastures and find a wide variety of grasses, legumes and other plants. We’ll discuss areas where mob stocking can be used to transform the plant species to grasses and legumes. We’ll find and identify poisonous plants as well as many types of pasture grasses, legumes, weeds and beneficial medicinal plants in pastures and hedgerows. There will also be time set aside for a presentation from a representative from Pennsylvania Certified Organic on allowable inputs for transitioning and organic farms. In addition, a representative from Fertrell will be on hand to answer questions about available products.

In order to service our members better, we are repeating the workshop offered on July 17. Our host for this second event will be Kress and Tammy Simpson, who run a small 180-acre seasonal dairy. The farm is up a hollow on a sidehill with rolling paddocks and good water. After years of intensive management, Kress says that his “soil fertility and grass production are on auto pilot now.”


Sarah Flack is an organic and biodynamic farmer who lives on the farm where she was raised in Northern Vermont. Her farming experience includes dairy, sheep, beef, pastured poultry and pigs. She is the author of Organic Dairy Production. She works with NOFA Vermont’s organic dairy and livestock technical assistance program.

Peter Miller is the East Region Pool Coordinator for Organic Valley/CROPP and will discuss support services available to farmers interested in transitioning to organic production.

Directions

KTS Farms is located at 140 Reynolds Rd, Mansfield, PA 16933-9299

From I-80, take the 220N exit #178 toward Lock Haven.
Head north on 220 for about 30 miles. Near Williamsport, you’ll merge onto US-15 North towards Mansfield. Travel for about 46 miles, then take the US-6 exit towards Mansfield/Wellsboro. Turn left onto US-6 east and travel a couple of miles. Then turn Left onto PA-549, travel about 5 miles. Turn Right onto Gor-Wood Road and take this about 2.5 miles. Then turn Right onto Reynolds Road and find the farm at 140 Reynolds Road.