GRAZE AND HAY DAY SET FOR MARCH 30

Better utilization of forage to enhance profitability for beef and dairy farmers will be discussed at the annual Graze and Hay Day at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Jackson March 28.

"Programs will feature local information and technology on grazing," said Gerald Bryan, University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist. "We address such topics as warm-season grass costs, nutrition and gains, weeds and management strategies."

Registration starts at 4 p.m. Speakers will address producers at 4:30 p.m. A meal will be served during a break at 6 p.m.

Commercial exhibits will be on display throughout the event.

Topics for the event, sponsored by Extension and the Agronomy Committee, were selected by farmer surveys with a focus on forage.

A grazer panel will feature Dave Wissehr, wildlife management biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation's Cape Girardeau office; cattle farmer Don Mueller of Longtown; and Kevin Bolt of the experimental grazing farm near Benton.

Wissehr will discuss grazing practices at the Maintz Farm and how to mix wildlife with grazing. Bolt will discuss grazing at the experimental farm and how to manage large groups of cattle. Mueller will discuss his cattle feeding process.

The experimental farm is comprised of 160 acres and includes five-acre blocks of a number of hay and grasses, including alfalfa and Bermuda.

Speakers also include Extension specialists Roger Eakins, Joe Horner, David Reinbott and Gerald Bryan.

Eakins, livestock specialist, will discuss nutrition and grass and the effects of forage quality on nutrition. He will address how to control insects in hay and pasture. Horner, dairy- and farm-management specialist, will talk about surviving the cattle cycle and adding value to cattle. Reinbott, farm management specialist, will discuss warm-season grass and how variety may pay. Bryan, agronomy specialist, will discuss weed control in hay and pasture and why it is important.

Hay production in Missouri totaled more than 6.8 million tons in 1995, averaging about two tons an acre.

Some farmers in Southwest Missouri have depleted their hay supplies and have little or no cold-weather grass growing.

"New pasture-land grass should be available in our area within the next month," said Bryan. "Hopefully this latest cold snap will be the last blast of winter, and hay will come on strong."

A registration fee of $6 includes lunch. Additional information is available by calling Bryan or Eakins at telephone 243-3581.