Virtual Fencing & Cover Crop Grazing

Curious about getting livestock on your cropland to improve soil health?

Join MNGLCA on Thursday, November 5, at Blissful Bee Pastures near Gibbon for an afternoon of practical, farmer-focused learning on virtual fencing, grazing management, cover crops and soil health.

Benjamin and Leah Matzke of Great Heritage Farm will share their experience with Nofence virtual collars: why they made the switch, what went wrong, what's working and how it has changed their grazing. Our hosts, Keith and Anna Johnson, will share how they choose and plant diverse cover crop mixes and what they've learned grazing livestock on cover crops, both at home and on a neighboring farm.

Then we'll ride a wagon out to the cover crop fields to see cattle grazing in virtual fence collars, with plenty of time for questions and conversation with the farmers and other producers.

The day also includes practical information from Emma Baker of Nofence on how the collars and app work, setting virtual boundaries and moving livestock. Mae Petrehn of Ducks Unlimited and NRCS will cover EQIP and other cost-share programs that can help you add virtual fencing, cover crops and other conservation practices.

We'll finish with University of Minnesota students sharing research from Great Heritage Farm and Blissful Bee Pastures on water movement, water storage, infiltration and soil properties under different management systems.

Come for the farmer stories, stay for the farm walk, and leave with ideas you can take back to your own operation.

What to expect

• Nofence virtual collars, from how they work to what it's like on the farm
• Farmer-to-farmer stories, including what went wrong and what's working
• Cover crop grazing with cattle and sheep
• Wagon tour of cover crops grazed by cows in collars
• NRCS cost-share options for virtual fencing, cover crops and conservation practices
• New U of M soil and water research from both host farms
• An on-farm BBQ beef lunch, plus time to connect with other producers

Agenda

• 12:00–12:30 p.m.
  Registration, Lunch & Networking

  Catered BBQ beef lunch by Brickhouse Meats, Gaylord, MN.
• 12:30–12:45 p.m.
  Welcome & Introductions

  Leah Matzke, MNGLCA

  Meet our host farmers, Great Heritage Farm and Blissful Bee Pastures, and get an overview of the afternoon.
• 12:45–1:00 p.m.
  Support Paying for Conservation: NRCS Programs & Cost Share

  Mae Petrehn, Ducks Unlimited & NRCS

  Learn about EQIP and other programs that can help you add virtual fencing, cover crops and other conservation practices.
• 1:00–1:30 p.m.
  How Virtual Fencing Works

  Emma Baker, Nofence

  How the collars and app work, setting virtual boundaries, moving livestock and what to consider before you start.
• 1:30–2:00 p.m.
  Grazing With Virtual Fence: A New Experience

  Benjamin & Leah Matzke, Great Heritage Farm

  Why we switched to virtual fencing, how we use it, what went wrong, what's working and how it has changed our grazing.
• 2:00–2:25 p.m.
  Diverse Cover Crops & Grazing Sheep

  Keith & Anna Johnson, Blissful Bee Pastures

  Their approach to planting diverse cover crop mixes and their experience grazing livestock on cover crops at home and on a neighboring farm.
• 2:25–3:15 p.m.
  Farm Walk: See the Systems in Action

  Ride a wagon out to the cover crop fields to see cattle grazing in virtual fence collars. Ask questions and talk with producers in the field.
• 3:15–3:40 p.m.
  What Happens Beneath Our Feet? U of M Soil & Water Research

  University of Minnesota students

  Research from Great Heritage Farm and Blissful Bee Pastures on water movement, water storage, infiltration and soil properties under different management systems.
• 3:40–3:45 p.m.
  Closing Remarks & Final Q&A

  MNGLCA
• 3:45 p.m.
  Event concludes