Join us for a Pasture Walk!

Saturday, June 26, 2021

12:00 Noon - 2:30 PM

Brehm Farm Inc., Bradley & Jessica Brehm

3456 Dry Brook Road Falconer, NY

Complimentary light lunch provided at 12:00 Noon

Lunch reservations required by June 22^nd

Everyone interested in grazing dairy and livestock and improving their pastures are encouraged to attend!

Jessica & Bradley Brehm are looking forward to hosting this pasture walk at their 150-cow dairy farm in Falconer, NY. They plan to share information on how they manage their pastures while also gathering new ideas to help them continue to optimize the use of their many acres of pasture.

The Brehm's moved their dairy from Erie County to Chautauqua County 5 years ago and now and graze their dairy herd on 56 acres of pastures divided into 13 paddocks. Their lactating cattle are rotated every 24 hours to take advantage of high-quality pasture forage. They also feed a "partial" mixed ration in the barn to supplement what the cows are getting on pasture. Rotational grazing has helped the Brehm's decrease the amount grain and haylage fed in the barn and time doing barn chores. An additional advantage is that the cows spread manure onto the pastures themselves to help fertilize the soils.

Guest presenters at the pasture walk will include:

• -Amy Barkley, Livestock and Beginning Farm Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Southwest NY Dairy, Livestock, Field Crops Team
• -Don Wild, Wild Acres Family Farm and King's Agri Seeds - WNY, Forage Management Service
• -Bryan Nothdurft, Resource Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Topics to be discussed will include: pasture re-growth and grazing strategies to optimize pasture production, measuring pasture forage in paddocks, managing weeds in pastures, clipping strategies, providing water in the paddocks, pond development, and NRCS programs available to assist agricultural producers and landowners. Peer-to-peer conversations are encouraged in addition to the presentation agenda to incorporate attendees' collective experiences into the discussion.

A complimentary light lunch will be provided at 12:00 Noon, co-sponsored by: Cargill, Inc; Growmark FS; John Wigger's & Son Inc; NYP Ag Services, Inc; The Forage Source; Lamb & Webster, Inc; Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc; and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County.

Please bring a lawn chair to use during lunch. Moderate walking will be required to view the pastures.

Reservations for the complimentary lunch are required by Tuesday, June 22^nd by leaving a message with Lisa Kempisty, Dairy & Livestock Educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County, with your name and number attending at 716-664-9502 Ext. 203 or by e-mail at ljk4@cornell.edu.