Grazing
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PFI has more than 60 members participating in seven Grazing Clusters around the state. Participants share moral and technical support. Participants also discuss production methods, resource leads, and other issues. They hold pasture walks and field days, and use cluster money provided to help them improve their operations. View Pasture Walk Schedule.
Testing how their farm affects water quality through chemical, physical (N20, N30, P2O5, pH, temp, dissolved oxygen) and biological monitoring.
Measure how well soils hold water during rain events to determine if farming system can affect the amount of water held.
Compare steady state water infiltration rates on three farm systems: annual cropping, continuous grazing and managed rotational grazing. Other farms will compare different fields and slopes.
Collecting and sharing grazing performance data.
Collaborating with Iowa State University on a project to collect data and determine compatibility of grazing and wildlife habitat. For more information contact Sarah Carlson.
Profile of PFI members: Tom and Kristi German:
Practical Farmers of Iowa On-Farm Research and Demonstration reports listed by year. PDF format
On-Farm Research
- Alternative Parasite Management- Are We There Yet? (2003)
- Parasite Research (2002)
- Grazing Plus - What? (2000)
- ZJ Farm Organic Wormer Project (2000)
- Alternative Parasite Control in Dairy Goats, An On-going Study (1999)
- Grass-based Dairy Farming in the Upper Midwest (1999)
- Why Holstein Heifers? (1998)
- Stream Monitoring on the Norman Borlaug Farm (1998)
- Time Calving to Suit Your Circumstances (1997)
- Learning How to Use Management-intensive Grazing in our Dairy Operation (1996)
- Rotational Grazing at Neely-Kinyon (1995)
- Learning When to Calve in a Grass-Based Dairy (1995)
- Pasture Versus Feedlot for Dairy Heifers (1994)
- Transition to Grazing for Dairy (1994)
- Forage Quality and Returns from Grazing (1994)
- Grazing (1993)
Other Grazing Resources
- Linking Land and Livestock: Tips for successful grazing arrangements
- Pasture Raised Focus Group Study: Consumers want convenient access to healthy, good-tasting food at a reasonable price
- Pasture-Raised Marketing: Messages that work for grass-based foods
- Direct Marketing Meat to CSAs
- 2007 Custom Grazing Survey Results
- Selling Organic Hay and the Farm Nutrient
- Direct Marketing Meat to CSAs 2005
- Pasture Raised Products Message and Strategy Consumer Focus Group Study 2002
- Consumer Messages for Grass Based Food: Exploring What Works 2003
Grazing systems links
Health benefits of grass-fed beef:
- Greener Pastures: Union of Concerned Scientists Report
- Eat Wild
The Iowa Food Cooperative is a great outlet for Iowa farmers to sell their meat.
Funding for PFI's grazing programming comes from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, and the Ceres Foundation.