Pasture in Practice: Focused on Forage Field Day - May 14

Hillsborough, NJ — North Jersey RC&D will host a Pasture in Practice: Focused on Forage Field Day on Thursday, May 14, from 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM at Lima Family Farms in Hillsborough, Somerset County, New Jersey.

This field day will spotlight a working example of intensive forage management at Lima Family Farms where more than 400 acres are managed in a detailed system to ensure the right forage is available for the right class of animal at the right time. Lima’s approach creates a “mosaic” of forage systems that supports consistent livestock weight gain year-round, ensuring a reliable supply of grass-finished beef cattle for his on-farm USDA-inspected slaughterhouse.

Attendees will tour the farm and see seasonal forage systems in action, including triticale with annual ryegrass, spring-planted peas and oats, and interseeded red clover alongside cool-season grasses such as novel endophyte fescue and orchardgrass. The tour will demonstrate how strategic forage planning can optimize both animal nutrition and overall farm productivity.

The event will also feature Dr. Amanda Grev, Forage and Pasture Extension Specialist at the Western Maryland Research and Education Center, as the guest expert. With seven years of experience at the center and a Ph.D. in Animal Science from the University of Minnesota, Dr. Grev brings deep expertise in the interaction between animal nutrition, forages, and pasture management.

Educational sessions throughout the afternoon will cover:

• Fescue management strategies

• Managing the spring forage flush

• Forage identification, with emphasis on plant growth stages and nutritional value

• Scalable pasture improvement strategies

• Soil health demonstrations

Participants will gain real-world insights into matching forages with livestock needs and improving pasture productivity.

For more information, please contact Craig Haney at North Jersey RC&D.

chaney@northjerseyrcd.org

914-424-7237 

This event is part of the work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number LNE25-492.