Midwest Perennial Forage Working Group

Image credits, left to right: Richard Cates; Matt Seymour on Unsplash.com; Sven Brandsma on Unsplash.com; Richard Cates, Cates Farm; Richard Cates, Cates Farm; Laura Paine; Laura Paine.

The Midwest Perennial Forage Working Group’s mission is to facilitate an increase in land used for pasture and perennial forage production in the Upper Midwest, and to improve the environmental performance of farming systems, while maintaining agricultural production and profitability.

About Us

Co-Chairs:
  • Laura Paine | lkpaine@gmail.com | GrassWorks
  • Jim Paulson | jcp@umn.edu | FieldStone Consulting
Core Group Members:

This group has committed to involvement in Working Group operations:
participating in quarterly meetings (three conference calls and one in-person meeting),
and participating in and advising on projects on an ongoing basis.

  • Nadia Alber | nalber@wisc.edu | Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems | University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Robert Bauer | bauer321@umn.edu | TN Natural Resources Conservation Service
  • Jeff Duchene | jeff.duchene@usda.gov | MN Natural Resources Conservation Service
  • Meghan Filbert | meghan@practicalfarmers.org | Practical Farmers of Iowa
  • Jacob Grace | jacobjgrace@wisc.edu | Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, UW-Madison
  • Doug Gucker | dgucker@illinois.edu | University of Illinois Extension
  • Vance Haugen | vjhaugen@gmail.com | Consultant
  • Pete Huff | Pete.Huff@winrock.org | Pasture Project| Wallace Center at Winrock International
  • Caleb Langworthy | Caleb@mosesorganic.org | Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES)
  • Gene Schriefer | gene.schriefer@ces.uwex.edu | University of Wisconsin Extension
  • Denise Schwab | dschwab@iastate.edu | Iowa State University Extension & Outreach
  • Kent Solberg | sevenpinesfarmandfence@gmail.com | Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota
  • Elisabeth Spratt | elisabeth.spratt@winrock.org | Pasture Project| Wallace Center at Winrock International
  • Terry VanDerPol | tlvdp@landstewardshipproject.org | Land Stewardship Project
  • Caroline Van Schaik | caroline.ikesumri@gmail.com | Consultant
  • Diomy Zamora | zamor015@umn.edu | Agroforestry Program, University of Minnesota Extension
Emeritus Members:
  • Richard Cates | Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems | University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Warren King | Pasture Project | Wallace Center at Winrock International
  • H. Joe Sellers | sellers@iastate.edu | Iowa State University Extension & Outreach

Beginning Graziers

Contract Grazing

Cover Crop & Residue Grazing

Dairy Grazing

Midwest Perennial Forage Working Group conducted this project in 2017 – 2018 with funding from USDA-Risk Management Agency.

Fair Use:

You may download, print, and distribute any of these materials for educational purposes. These are open-access; you do not need to ask permission. Please do not charge recipients more than the actual cost of printing and distribution.

PowerPoint slides may be downloaded and used in any manner for educational purposes. Proper credit is already included on the slides.

Fact Sheets & Slide Sets
7 case studies of grazing dairy operations in IL, IA, MN and WI
Project Team
Support for the Project
    • This project is funded by the Risk Management Education Partnership, USDA-Risk Management Agency.
Dairy Grazing Programs & Organizations
Center for Dairy Profitability Grazing Economics Papers

Forage & Grazing Resources

Fact Sheets
Grazing & Pasture Resources
Iowa
Kentucky
Minnesota
Missouri
  • Forages Research and Extension | University of Missouri
  • Management-Intensive Grazing: the grassroots of grass farming. Green Park Press. Gerrish, J. 2006.
    *Book in print.
Wisconsin
Forage Selector Tools
  • Cornell University has a web-based forage selector tool to help farmers choose the appropriate forage plants for their site.
  • Penn State also has a forage selector tool, where you can chose your soil type/land type by selecting a region on a map.
Grazing Planning Tools
  • The Wisconsin Natural Resources Conservation service (WI NRCS) has links to a variety of grazing planning tools, including a rotational grazing worksheet.

Match Made in Heaven: Livestock + Crops

The Midwest Perennial Forage Working Group (MPFWG) was awarded a SARE Research & Education grant for the proposed project, “Match Made in Heaven: Livestock + Crops.” The project will survey producers in six Midwestern states about the opportunities and barriers related to integration or re-integration of livestock and crop production with the goal of identifying strategies to capture the environmental, economic, and social benefits of diverse crop rotations and integrated systems.

The three year project will create opportunities for farmers to speak about their interests, challenges, and needs, and allow the crop and livestock organizations that they engage with to adapt their programming to meet current and future interests and needs.

Click here for the Match Made in Heaven: Livestock + Crops website
Press Release

Contacts

Laura Paine, GrassWorks, lkpaine@gmail.com

Jane Jewett, Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, jewet006@umn.edu

Project Details

Invitation to Join the Project Advisory Group

Seeking crop, livestock, and general farmer organizations in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin!

Join the Advisory Group 2-pager

 

{End of Match Made in Heaven Material}

 

 

Soil Health, Carbon Sequestration & Other Regen Ag Resources

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grazing Educator Webinar Series, 2015

2015 Webinars:
Contacts for more information about the webinars:

Are you a grazing specialist, land manager, or grazing educator? Want to be involved in the development of grazing education? Join the Midwest Perennial Forage Working Group!

We meet approximately quarterly by conference call and once or twice per year in person.

Co-Chairs are Laura Paine of Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship and Jim Paulson, grazing consultant.

Contact the co-chairs:

Laura Paine |  lkpaine@gmail.com | 608-338-9039

Jim Paulson | jcp@umn.edu

Slide Library
Related Image Collections
Sponsors:

Conference Sessions

The Midwest Perennial Forage Working Group has organized perennial forage and grazing sessions at Green Lands Blue Waters conferences.

Proceedings of those conference sessions are available online:

Slide Library

Grazing Educator Slide Library

Slide Collections:

*We are currently working on updating the Slide Library to our new platform.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

2015 Webinars:

Are you a grazing specialist, land manager, or grazing educator?

Want to be involved in the development of grazing education?

Join the Midwest Perennial Forage Working Group!

We meet approximately quarterly by conference call and once or twice per year in person.

Co-Chairs are Laura Paine of Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship and Jim Paulson, grazing consultant.

Contact the co-chairs:

Laura Paine, lkpaine@gmail.com, 608-338-9039

Jim Paulson, jcp@umn.edu