Organic Dairy Forages: Focus on Summer Annuals

Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H6VFxKJwaI

About the Webinar

Summer annual forages--including millet, sorghums, sorghum-sudans, and teff-- can be important complements to pastures during the summer slump as well as harvested for stored feed.  Join Heather Darby and Rick Kersbergen as they discuss strategies for planting, harvesting, and feeding these forages to organic dairy cattle.

Funding for this webinar was provided by the Northeast Center for Risk Management Education and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

About the Presenters

Heather Darby is an agronomist at the University of Vermont Extension where she conducts applied research and outreach on farm-based fuel, forage, and grain production systems in New England. Heather's research has focused on traditional and niche crop variety trials, weed management strategies, and cropping systems development. Her farmer outreach programs have focused on soil health, nutrient management, organic grain and forage production, and oilseed production. In addition, Heather leads the eOrganic dairy team and also operates a certified organic farm with her husband in northern Vermont.

Rick Kersbergen is an Extension Professor at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Rick has been conducting research and extension programs related to sustainable dairy and forage systems since 1987. He is currently involved with several multi-state, applied research projects on cover crops, organic grains production, and forage and nutrient management. He is past chair of the Northeast Pasture Consortium and manages the regional website as a compendium of grazing information for the region.

Find all upcoming and archived eOrganic webinars at https://eorganic.org/node/4942

Published May 13, 2013

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.