2009 GRAZING WORKSHOP SERIESThese Grazing Workshops are organized annually by MassGrass, a coalition of groups led by NOFA/Mass, the University of Massachusetts Extension, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance., as a continuing education resource for Massachusetts farmers. Topics at each event will vary, but will include pasture management, organic transition and herd health, forage species, soil fertility, fencing and water systems, and summer and winter grazing. See www.massgrass.org for additional grazing resources. For more information on any of these sessions, contact Winton Pitcoff at winton@nofamass.org or 413-634-5728. Workshop fee is $5, payable on site. Please note the additional charge for the August 4 event, explained in the description below. Small-Scale Dairies and On-Farm Processing Amy Klippenstein and Paul Lacinski run Sidehill Farm in Ashfield (www.sidehillfarm.net) where they raise Normande and Canadienne dairy cows. They sell raw milk and make yogurt in an on-farm processing plant, and raise vegetables in their greenhouses and fields. Topics covered will include on-farm processing, raw milk, the challenges of grazing non-contiguous land, and organic management. Maribeth and Derek Ritchie raise registered Nubian Goats and purebred Finn Sheep at Sangha Farm in Ashfield (www.sanghafarm.com). They make goat milk cheese and other products , and sell vegetables from their fields and greenhouse through their CSA and at farmers markets. They also graze yaks and oxen, which have been trained to work the fields. Topics discussed at Sangha will include multi-species grazing, restoring old pastures and intensive grazing. Multi-Species Grazing for Meat Animals I Raising Meat Goats and the FAMACHA System This workshop will include a special training in the FAMACHA program, a way of measuring anemia and blood loss in goats to better treat animals for worms based on their individual conditions. This training will be offered by Joyce Meader, a Dairy/Livestock Educator with the Cooperative Extension System of the University of Connecticut, and will require pre-registration and an additional $12 fee for materials. Please contact winton@nofamass.org (413-634-5728) to register by July 15. The farm is at 685 North Stone St., in West Suffield, 1.3 miles from the MA line, next to The Notch. The driveway is between two blue spruce trees, across from Oak St. Grazing Basics Multi-Species Grazing for Meat Animals II
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