Graze 300 Virginia

01/09/2026

I have not personally used one of these devices but it looks like a great innovation to help reduce labor when installing and removing temporary fence. The Extension Graze 300 VA Team Completed a fairly extensive study to identify the primary barriers to the adoption of managed rotational grazing. One of the top barriers was associated with the "Amount of Work." This is the type of innovation we need to address this barrier. From a safety standpoint I wish it mounted on the front of the ATV to keep the poly wire away from the driver.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Giyjz3X48/

23/08/2026

Here is a picture of some excellent grass management on Joe Bowman's Farm near Mount Jackson. Roughly half of this area was planted to novel fescue and the other half is "Unimproved or Native" fescue/Orchardgrass/Bluegass . Hay was baled in early June and the field rested until early August. With the cattle grazing both fields at the same time; it reduces the risk of problems (heat stress) caused by K31. Also, since the whole area was baled for hay; there are no seedheads (or very few) which means there is little risk of contaminating the Novel Fescue with K-31 seed.

21/08/2026

Now is the time to apply 40 to 50 pounds of Nitrogen per acre to your pastures and any grazeable hay fields to make fall grass. Nitrogen applied over the next month to cool season grass will boost tonnage for grazing over the winter and most of the nutrients will flow through the cow and be there to create more pasture or hay yield in the spring. Good sources of nitrogen include chicken/turkey litter, Class A Biosolids (usually granulated), Class B Biosolids (which needs a permit to spread), Fertilizer and several other kinds of manure.

The Picture shows Jesse Clark's Spreader truck full of broiler litter shortly prior to spreading on some needy pastures. Thank you to Jesse (and many other custom applicators) for spreading crop nutrients on many needy fields across the region.

29/07/2026

Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture Cover Crops and Fieldprint Calculator Subpilot.
The Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture has one final opportunity for producers to participate in the Alliance project. With limited remaining funds the Alliance has developed a Cover Crops and Fieldprint Calculator Subpilot. As participants in the subpilot, producers will contribute to Virginia Tech's agronomy research by submitting data to Field to Market’s Fieldprint Calculator online tool and collecting biomass samples for analysis. The Cover Crop and Fieldprint Calculator Subpilot provides Virginia producers with an opportunity to implement or enhance a winter cover crop system while contributing to research that advances climate-smart agriculture. Applications are open July 6 through August 3, 2026. No applications will be accepted after August 3. Complete applications will be submitted for selection on Friday, August 7. If an application does not include the required information and documents by August 7, it will not be considered.

Producers who are new to OR experienced with cover crops as a management practice are welcome to apply. Producers can enroll up to 120 acres for a payment of $150 an acre. Soil & Water Conservation Districts will be accepting applications for the Virginia Agricultural Cost-Share (VACS) Program during the same period as this opportunity. Producers who are not selected for the Alliance program may still have an opportunity to apply for VACS. Please note that the same acres cannot receive funding through both the Alliance program and VACS for the same practice. Producers enrolled in the Alliance may still enroll additional acreage in VACS, provided the acres are not already enrolled in the Alliance program. VACS requirements and payment rates may differ depending on the cover crop practice being implemented.

For details on applying and all requirements to participate please visit our website: https://www.allianceforcsa.org/cover-crop-subpilot/.

22/07/2026

Join VCE for the August Drought Management Webinar on Wednesday, August 5th, 2026, at 7pm via Zoom.

Topics will include:
• Government assistance programs
• Early weaning strategies
• Planning ahead to manage hay shortages

The zoom link to join the webinar is below:
https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/81564971726

Recordings of previous Emergency Drought Management Webinars, along with additional resources, are available on the Virginia Tech Beef Extension website at https://sas.vt.edu/extension/vtbeef.html

09/07/2026

Southwest Virginia Virtual Fencing Project is up and running this summer! The project has eight farmers from across Southwest Virginia trialing virtual fencing with their cattle herds for up to a year! Recently, two participants were interviewed by Virginia Farm Bureau Federation along with Kevin Spurlin from Grayson County Extension Office who is assisting the farmers with the project. The project idea was kindled out of the loss of fence during Hurricane Helene.

The project has been funded by:
Virginia Cooperative Extension
Virginia To***co Region Revitalization Commission
Clean Water Grant Funds from Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Matthews Foundation
Farm Credit of Virginias Charitable Contribution Fund
Virginia Cattle Industry Board
Scott County Soil and Water Conservation District
Daniel Boone Soil and Water Conservation District
Lee County Livestock Association

Virginia Cooperative Extension is looking forward to sharing the experiences of participants and using data to help farmers use technology in the future!

What if you could move your herd with just the tap of a screen? In ...

06/07/2026

Good pasture management is for horse owners, too!

Feel free to share!

Calling all horse owners, barn managers, 4-H'ers, or equine enthusiasts!

🐴🌱 PastureWise Equine🌱🐴

Are you looking to improve your horse’s health, pasture productivity, and grazing management practices? Join us PastureWise Equine, a hands-on educational program designed to help horse owners understand how soil, forage, and horse management work together to create healthier horses and more sustainable farms.

This year, we are bringing the program to three locations across Virginia:
1. Thursday, August 27 at Hoge Farm Stables - Blacksburg
2. Friday, September 18 at Oakdale Equestrian Center - Powhatan
3. Friday, October 30 at Rapidan Equine Sanctuary - Fredericksburg (please note the date change to the 30th!)

⏰ 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
💲 $20 per person (includes lunch)

Explore the connection between soil health, forage production, and grazing success through:

🌾 Plant Management: pasture evaluation and conservation practices you can implement on your own farm

🐎 Equine Management: Equine nutrition fundamentals, how to evaluate hay, metabolic health and body condition scoring

🌱 Soil Management: Soil health principles and management practices

📝 Registration is open! Visit https://tinyurl.com/PastureWise for more details!

📞 Questions? Contact Mackenzie Gunn at [email protected] or 804-561-2481.

This program is supported by a grant through Virginia Horse Industry Board - VHIB with support from the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council

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

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Mackenzie Gunn, Amelia Extension Office at 804-561-2481 during business hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

Alt Text: Promotional flyer for the Virginia Cooperative Extension's PastureWise Equine program. The flyer features a maroon silhouette of a grazing horse over an outline of Virginia. Text reads: “Ready to deep dive into equine and pasture management? Join us at one of our THREE locations for PastureWise Equine!” Registration and more information available at tinyurl.com/PastureWise
The flyer includes logos for the Virginia Horse Industry Board, Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council. The flyer is displayed over a background image of a green pasture with trees and blue sky.

01/07/2026

Interested in learning more about pearl millet production especially during drought? 🌾

Join ANR agents Turner Minx and Robbie Longest on July 14th for a field day to see what pearl millet variety performs best in eastern Viriginia for your own future use!

To register for this event, contact:
Turner Minx [email protected]
or
Robbie Longest [email protected]
or call: 804-443-3551

On July 14th, we'll be hosting a field day to look at some pearl millet variety plots. Pearl millet is a warm season annual grass that is grown for hay and/or grazing during the summer. When other grasses (such as fescue and orchardgrass) become stressed from heat and drought, pearl millet keeps on growing.

We have planted 5 different varieties of pearl millet side by side to see which one(s) perform best in eastern Virginia. We will spend a few hours on the evening July 14th looking at the test plots and discussing how pearl millet can benefit livestock producers. Full details are in the flyer below!

To register for this event, contact:

Turner Minx [email protected]
or
Robbie Longest [email protected]

or call: 804-443-3551

17/06/2026

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬?

We've planted an extra field of sorghum sudangrass to increase our baleage yields since we decided to graze our 1st cutting of hay.

Share your strategies below!

16/06/2026

Virginia Beef Cattle University, July 8-10, Blacksburg, Virginia Tech
2026 Virginia Beef Cattle University will be held July 8-10 in Blacksburg. The premier beef cattle educational event in Virginia will feature notable speakers from around the country covering various topics critical to the beef industry in Virginia. This year’s featured speakers include Gene Copenhaver, NCBA President from Meadowview, Virginia, Kenny Burdine from the University of Kentucky, and Dr. Dave Kohl. Additional keynote speakers include Dr. Dave Thomson of Iowa State University. The program will feature breakout sessions on forages, reproduction, nutrition, herd health, risk management and genetics. The program features a beef and brews social hour at the Virginia Tech German Club.
More information can be found on the Virginia Beef Cattle University Website: https://vabeefcattleu.com/
Early Bird Registration is $175. Early bird registration is open through June 19th. https://vabeefcattleu.com/registration-2/.
Producers may be able to cover their registration costs by using a Rancher Resilience Grant from NCBA. https://www.ncba.org/education-resources/rancher-resilience-grant. Producers registering are responsible for their hotel and accommodations.

Participants will emerge equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to proactively manage beef cattle herd health and ensure the well-being and prosperity of their herd.