The Premier In-Season Grazing Conference Returns: Grasstravaganza 2019 Comes to SUNY Cobleskill July 25 – 27
SUNY Cobleskill is hosting Grasstravaganza, the premier in-season grazing conference, at the College Thursday July 25, through Saturday, July 27, in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), and New York Grazing Coalition. The theme of this year’s conference is “Health and Resiliency from Soil to Table.”
Grasstravaganza 2019 will cover the importance of grazing livestock with a soil to table perspective. The conference includes lectures and presentations from regional and national speakers, and features guided tours of Cobleskill-area farms, including the College Farm, which is contiguous to the SUNY Cobleskill campus. Grazing management, grass-fed beef, soil health, livestock nutrition, emerging technologies, dairy grazing, and small ruminant nutrition are among topics experts will cover. Guests will be able to select workshops from fundamental, experienced, and general tracks; similarly, guests will be able to select dairy, beef, or multi-species-specific farm tours.
Learning stations will be setup on each farm tour, providing opportunities to “learn by doing” in a hands-on educational environment.
Keynoting this year’s conference will be Dr. Elaine Ingham, Founder and Director of Research for Soil Foodweb, Inc. A leading authority on the soil food web and the ecological functions of living soil, Dr. Ingham will be speaking twice on Friday. Thursday evening’s featured speaker is Jessica Ziehm, Taste NY Ag Marketing Educator for CCE Washington County. Through Taste NY Ziehm works to connect farmers and regional food processors. State Agronomist and Grazing Specialist, USDA-NRCS – Indiana Victor Shelton will also present “Improving Pasture Soils with Management and Impact” Saturday morning. The conference agenda is available: https://web.cobleskill.edu/grasstravaganza/conference-agenda/.
“The experience our conference faculty brings to this year’s event is reflective of the depth and breadth of knowledge those in agriculture are seeking, and needing” says Dr. Timothy Moore, Dean of SUNY Cobleskill’s School of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “We are excited to be hosting many well-known professionals, and our guests, as we explore the interconnectedness of many important topics involving natural resources in our region and beyond.”
“NRCS is excited to partner with SUNY Cobleskill to present Grasstravaganza 2019,” says NRCS State Conservationist Blake Glover. “As part of USDA, NRCS has a mission to ‘help people help the land.’ Events like Grasstravaganza are a great opportunity for us to share conservation information and funding opportunities in grazing and soil health with the agricultural community.”
Registration is now open: https://web.cobleskill.edu/grasstravaganza/registration/. Attendees have the option to register for individual days, or the full conference. Meals are included in the registration price, and on-campus lodging is available. For additional information about Grasstravaganza or event registration, visit the conference website, or contact Dr. Andrew Gascho Landis: Gascham@cobleskill.edu. Please be advised that conference registration ends on July 12.
SUNY Cobleskill is offering currently and recently-enrolled students between the ages of 13 and 25 a conference scholarship. Eligible applicants are asked to submit a written document detailing how attending Grasstravaganza will benefit their education, and career goals. The deadline to submit is July 1. Additional information is available on the conference website.
Attendees will also be able to take advantage of “trade show” times, during which vendors will be able to market products supporting the needs and interests of guests, and network. Interested vendors and/or sponsors are encouraged to register online, by July 1: https://web.cobleskill.edu/grasstravaganza/vendor-sponsorship-opportunities/.