Project Objective:  Graziers who participate will fine tune their grazing skills to help improve pasture output by learning how weather conditions (rainfall, temperature) interact with management decisions (residue height, rest) to affect regrowth in their pastures

Target Audience:  graziers throughout NY state utilizing rotational grazing strategies

Program Plan: 

Participants will identify 1-2 pastures to record weekly measurements of grass height, as well as rainfall amounts for their location. 

• To enroll, farms should send Betsy Hicks (bjh246@cornell.edu) or Troy Bishopp (troy-bishopp@verizon.net) :
  • Name, email, phone number
  • Location of pasture (GPS coordinates)
  • Elevation of pasture
  • Nearest town
  • What you're grazing (beef steers, beef cow/calf, dairy heifers, dairy cows, etc)
  • Starting height of pasture for that week
• Weekly, farms should report:
  • Rainfall for the week (inches)
  • Height of pasture (inches)
  • Date pasture was grazed or clipped
  • If pasture was grazed or clipped, height of residual (inches)
• From these enrollment & weekly measurements, Betsy & Troy will calculate:
  • Regrowth rate
  • Cumulative GDD using Cornell Climate Smart Farming's GDD calculator (http://climatesmartfarming.org/tools/csf-growing-degree-day-calculator/)

• Graziers should do their measurements on the same day every week, but they can choose to do measurements on any day from Monday to Thursday. 
• Measurements can be sent to Betsy/Troy via email, text or phone call by Thursday at NOON each week.
• Betsy & Troy will compile the weekly grazing report, to be sent out on Friday morning each week. Once a month during the grazing season, Betsy & Troy will hold an open grazing call for participants to compare notes.
• Participants can join the project and calls at any time during the grazing season. The more the merrier!

If you'd like to receive the results only, email Betsy Hicks at bjh246@cornell.edu to be added to the list of people who receive the weekly reports.