Tour Helps Grazing Leaders Plan National Conference

Grazing leaders from 23 states met in St. Louis in September to make final arrangements for their upcoming national conference. They also took advantage of their time together to tour two ranches in southeastern Missouri that have intensive rotational grazing systems.

More than 100 of the leaders attending the meeting at the invitation of the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) took buses to the ranches near Farmington, Missouri. Once there, they heard the ranch operators explain what changes had been made and how those changes made their operations more efficient and profitable.

That’s the type of information the leaders hope to share with the more than 2,000 people with an interest in grazing who are expected to meet in St. Louis December 10-13 for the Third National Conference on Grazing Lands.

The conference is hosted by GLCI. It will provide a forum for exchange of information, an opportunity to identify grazing land research and program needs, and a chance to see new products and learn about new services.

There will be presentations about grazing management from a variety of sources, including farmers, ranchers, and representatives of universities and agricultural agencies. Technical assistance will be emphasized. The conference also should heighten public awareness of the economic and environmental aspects of grazing lands.

Presentations will focus on: building partnerships between agricultural, grazing and urban communities; successful cutting-edge management technologies for grazing practices; economic, marketing and public policy implications of grazing; and optimizing grazing land health for environmental and social benefits.

For more information about the conference, including registration information, visit www.glci.org, and click on the “grazing conference” link.

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