Lush, green Kansas pastures, don’t happen by chance.

Margit Kaltenekker, an agriculture agent with K-State Research and Extension’s office in Douglas County, said pastures provide a cost-effective food source for grazing animals – when managed correctly.

“We often talk about managed rotational grazing to help landowners achieve optimum forage production and utilization,” Kaltenekker said.

K-State Research and Extension and specialists from the Natural Resources Conservation Service will host a one-day grazing school to help landowners best manage their pastures.

‘Grazing Greener Pastures’ will be held May 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Baldwin City. The event is hosted by horse owners Bob and Julie DeYoung, located at 1041 No. 800th Road.

While the one-day school emphasizes management for grazing horses, “the topics will apply to anyone grazing animals,” Kaltenekker said.

Additional presentations include fly control for horses, paddock design and grazing arithmetic, and plant identification of grasses and weeds.

“We need to know which types of grasses we are managing, whether they are cool season grasses (brome or fescue) or native warm season grasses (little bluestem, big bluestem, switch grass or Indian grass),” Kaltenekker said. “Each requires slightly different management strategies to ensure greatest productivity.”

Registration for the one-day grazing school is available online. More information is available by calling the Douglas County extension office at 785-843-7058, or by sending email to Kaltenekker at [email protected].

Kaltenekker said the event includes hands-on instruction, “so folks need to be prepared to be outside, rain or shine.”

Instructors for this workshop include K-State northeast area agronomist Tina Sullivan; K-State veterinary entomologist Cassandra Olds; and NRCS eastern Kansas grazing specialist Ethan Walker.