Extension Offers Special Grazing School for Horse Owners

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System will hold a hay and forage field day for horse owners. An Extension regional animal science agent says the course will be offered Saturday, June 7 in Morgan County.

“This class is a follow up to the Grazing Management Course we offered last year to horse owners that was well attended and very well received,” says Kent Stanford, who serves a four-county area northeast of Birmingham. “The course includes both classroom-type instruction and hands-on exercises.”

The field day will begin at the Morgan County Extension office in Hartselle. Red Oak Farm in Danville will host the hands-on exercises and demonstrations.
Stanford’s colleague Gerry Thompson says forages are important resources for horse owners.

“Hay and forages can provide much of the nutrition for most horses,” says Thompson, an Extension regional agent in north Alabama. “But many horse owners don’t have a broad understanding of hay and forages.”

Both say the course’s goal is to help horse owners improve their understanding of forages, hay selection, and hay productions. Topics include forage species selection, matching hay quality to horse needs, and fire ant control options for pastures and hay fields, among others. A highlight of the program will be equipment demonstrations and a walking tour of the various forage species being grown at Red Oak Farm.

The course costs $20 per person, which includes all course materials as well as lunch and refreshments. Each additional family member can register for $10. Preregistration is required by June 2, and fees must be paid in advance.

The workshop begins at 9:00 a.m. and will end at 4:00 p.m. Contact Thompson at (256) 353-8702, Ext 25 or Stanford at (256) 299-0683 for more information and registration forms

Posted by lawremc at May 7, 2008 09:56 AM | TrackBack