Graze 300 Virginia

23/04/2026

INTERESTED IN TRYING MANAGED GRAZING?

Join us for hands-on experience and the opportunity to borrow $500 worth of equipment (and keep $200 worth of equipment) to see if managed grazing will fit on your farm without the initial investment in equipment!

Equipment provided includes:
-2 pre-loaded Taragate Reels with polybraid
-50 step-in posts
- 2 sets of alligator clips
- Limited solar energizers are available for those without perimeter electric fence setup

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧-𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩
Join VCE for our in person workshop that combines hands on fence and water set ups, planning considerations, soil health demonstrations, and real world troubleshooting to help you improve your own grazing management!

Saturday, May 9th, 2026
8:00am- 2:00pm
Honaker House Farm
3137 Honaker Rd, Draper VA

Cost (includes lunch):
Early-bird (register by April 17th)- $20/person
$25/person after April 17th

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/VCEGrazingWorkshop
or by calling the Montgomery Co. Extension Office (540-382-5790)

Dress for the weather and farm terrain! Our "classroom" will be on a working farm. We will have some chairs, but you may want to bring a camping chair that is easy to carry for out in the field if you need to take a break.

Questions? Contact Meredith Hoggatt, [email protected], 540-382-5790

Thank you to our sponsors for their support: American Farmland Trust, Farm Credit, Montgomery Co. Farm Bureau, Giles Co., Virginia Soil Health Coalition, and Virginia AgrAbility.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Meredith Hoggatt, Montgomery Co. Extension at 540-382-5790/TDD* during business hours of 8 a.m. and 5p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local governments, and is an equal opportunity employer. For the full non-discrimination statement, please visit ext.vt.edu/accessibility.

21/04/2026

Join us tonight as Matt Booher, Grassland Agronomist, chats about designing a grazing system that builds soil health by balancing carrying capacity and forage availability. He'll also cover stockpiling for late-summer and winter grazing, strategic timing and methods of feeding hay, and forage diversification.

𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://tinyurl.com/VCEManagedGrazing
4 the Soil

Interested in implementing managed grazing (e.g., rotational grazing, mob grazing, strip grazing, etc.) as a pasture management tool on your farm? Unsure of where to start, if it's a good fit for you, or if it's worth the hype? 🌾

Join Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Graze300 team as we explore the benefits of managed grazing and how to get started on any scale farm with any intensity!

Webinars will be held on Tuesday evening start on April 14th-May 5th from 6pm-7:30pm.

𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://tinyurl.com/VCEManagedGrazing

April 14th: Managed Grazing Across All Scales- Discover how producers across Virginia are successfully implementing managed grazing using simple tools, practical steps, and flexible approaches that work on any size operation.

April 21st: Small Steps Towards Managed Grazing- Learn how to confidently balance forage supply and livestock demand using adaptable stocking strategies that help you make the most of your land’s potential.

April 28th: The Biology Behind Managed Grazing- Learn how to use the biology of plants and your livestock to make your grazing system work for you.

May 5th: Maximizing Grazing with Strip Grazing/Daily Rotations- Explore the techniques, planning tools, and hands on methods behind effective strip and daily rotations to boost forage utilization and simplify day to day grazing management.

Questions? Contact Meredith Hoggatt ([email protected], 540-382-5790)

20/04/2026

Drought conditions in Virginia as of April 16, 2026 as reported by the US Drought Monitor below (https://drought.unl.edu/) (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?VA
Managing Through Spring Drought:
Much of the state is in drought, and the long term forecast for the remainder of April does not look promising. Here are some brief recommendations for management through a spring drought:
1. Leave as much residual forage as possible – 4-6”. Leaving this residual will help forage respond much quicker after a rain.
2. Culling. With strong cull prices and short forage, it may be worth looking at culling the open fall calving cow.
3. Summer stockpile pastures that are not needed for hay. Summer stockpiling fields should provide grazable forage during hot dry summers, when cool season grass is near dormant.
4. Consider early weaning. Taking calves to market in the near future greatly relieves pressure on pastures compared to a cow calf pair.
Let’s hope the weather turns soon.

14/04/2026

✨𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓!✨
Interested in implementing managed grazing (e.g., rotational grazing, mob grazing, strip grazing, etc.) as a pasture management tool on your farm? Unsure of where to start, if it's a good fit for you, or if it's worth the hype? 🌾

Join Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Graze300 team as we explore the benefits of managed grazing and how to get started on any scale farm with any intensity!

Webinars will be held on Tuesday evening start on April 14th-May 5th from 6pm-7:30pm.

𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://tinyurl.com/VCEManagedGrazing

Questions or trouble registering? Contact Meredith Hoggatt ([email protected], 540-382-5790)

Interested in implementing managed grazing (e.g., rotational grazing, mob grazing, strip grazing, etc.) as a pasture management tool on your farm? Unsure of where to start, if it's a good fit for you, or if it's worth the hype? 🌾

Join Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Graze300 team as we explore the benefits of managed grazing and how to get started on any scale farm with any intensity!

Webinars will be held on Tuesday evening start on April 14th-May 5th from 6pm-7:30pm.

𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://tinyurl.com/VCEManagedGrazing

April 14th: Managed Grazing Across All Scales- Discover how producers across Virginia are successfully implementing managed grazing using simple tools, practical steps, and flexible approaches that work on any size operation.

April 21st: Small Steps Towards Managed Grazing- Learn how to confidently balance forage supply and livestock demand using adaptable stocking strategies that help you make the most of your land’s potential.

April 28th: The Biology Behind Managed Grazing- Learn how to use the biology of plants and your livestock to make your grazing system work for you.

May 5th: Maximizing Grazing with Strip Grazing/Daily Rotations- Explore the techniques, planning tools, and hands on methods behind effective strip and daily rotations to boost forage utilization and simplify day to day grazing management.

Questions? Contact Meredith Hoggatt ([email protected], 540-382-5790)

13/04/2026

Just a reminder to leave 4-6 inches of forage residue in each paddock to optimize forage re-growth. The below example cuts it pretty close...Rotating cattle into a new field every 2-3 days is probably appropriate this time of year.

03/04/2026

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧-𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩
Join VCE for our in person workshop that combines hands on fence and water set ups, planning considerations, soil health demonstrations, and real world troubleshooting to help you improve your own grazing management!

Saturday, May 9th, 2026
8:00am- 2:00pm
Honaker House Farm
3137 Honaker Rd, Draper VA

Cost (includes lunch):
Early-bird (register by April 17th)- $20/person
$25/person after April 17th

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/VCEGrazingWorkshop
or by calling the Montgomery Co. Extension Office (540-382-5790)

Dress for the weather and farm terrain! Our "classroom" will be on a working farm. We will have some chairs, but you may want to bring a camping chair that is easy to carry for out in the field if you need to take a break.

Questions? Contact Meredith Hoggatt, [email protected], 540-382-5790

Thank you to our sponsors for their support: American Farmland Trust, Farm Credit, Montgomery Co. Farm Bureau, Giles Co., Virginia Soil Health Coalition, and Virginia AgrAbility.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Meredith Hoggatt, Montgomery Co. Extension at 540-382-5790/TDD* during business hours of 8 a.m. and 5p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local governments, and is an equal opportunity employer. For the full non-discrimination statement, please visit ext.vt.edu/accessibility.

18/03/2026

As we approach the Spring of 2026, farmers may find the Publication Titled "Managing the Spring Pasture Flush" to be useful. This publication is a little long (11 pages); but it gives everyone several options so you can choose an option that best fits your situation.
https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/SPES/spes-486/spes-486.html

17/03/2026

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
This winter, Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station have been collecting hay and stockpiled forage samples throughout the commonwealth. Many farmers often wonder “How good is stockpiled grass after it has been snowed on or iced on (in this winter’s case)?”. Several farmers have mentioned to us that once the first snow hits stockpiled grass, even after melting off cows do not have the same desire to eat it as much. However, other farmers swear that once snow or ice is gone, cows go straight back to stockpiled grass. Perhaps the answer is dependent on hay or stockpiled grass quality.
Below is a table of an average of 11 grass samples taken in December (avg date Dec. 26) for stockpiled grass. Also in the table are nutrient requirements for various types of cattle. One can see that the stockpiled grass samples meet or nearly meet the nutrient requirements for these classes of cattle.
11 sample avg Stockpiled Grass
Avg Sample date 12/26/2025
DM% CP% TDN%
53.9 10.5 63.0
Nutrient Requirements of growing steers and heifers, 400 lb 1.5 gain/day
DM lbs CP% TDN%
10 lb 12.1 64

Nutrient Requirements of replacement heifers, 800 lbs
DM lbs CP% TDN%
21 lb 8.1 61

Nutrient Requirements of 1400 lb cow early lactation
DM lbs CP% TDN%
25.9 lb 7.5 54

Nutrient Requirements of 1400 lb cow early lactation
DM lbs CP% TDN%
35.8 lb 10.8 60

We hope to follow up this post with data from stockpiled grass samples from January and February. Happy Grazing!

09/03/2026

Interested in implementing managed grazing (e.g., rotational grazing, mob grazing, strip grazing, etc.) as a pasture management tool on your farm? Unsure of where to start, if it's a good fit for you, or if it's worth the hype? 🌾

Join Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Graze300 team as we explore the benefits of managed grazing and how to get started on any scale farm with any intensity!

Webinars will be held on Tuesday evening start on April 14th-May 5th from 6pm-7:30pm.

𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://tinyurl.com/VCEManagedGrazing

April 14th: Managed Grazing Across All Scales- Discover how producers across Virginia are successfully implementing managed grazing using simple tools, practical steps, and flexible approaches that work on any size operation.

April 21st: Small Steps Towards Managed Grazing- Learn how to confidently balance forage supply and livestock demand using adaptable stocking strategies that help you make the most of your land’s potential.

April 28th: The Biology Behind Managed Grazing- Learn how to use the biology of plants and your livestock to make your grazing system work for you.

May 5th: Maximizing Grazing with Strip Grazing/Daily Rotations- Explore the techniques, planning tools, and hands on methods behind effective strip and daily rotations to boost forage utilization and simplify day to day grazing management.

Questions? Contact Meredith Hoggatt ([email protected], 540-382-5790)

25/02/2026

Just an example of how managed grazing benefits farms and families!

“Schwauuuuhhh!” You hear the distinct cattle call my father has consistently sent ringing through Draper’s Valley in Virginia for at least the 35 years I’ve been alive. It’s the same call my older sister and I have comically attempted to replicate throughout the years to no avail.

24/02/2026

The colder weather this week may provide an opportunity to frost seed clovers. If you do plan to attempt to frost seed clovers this winter, please take advantage of this week's freeze and thaw. Good seed to soil contact is necessary for a successful frost seeding!