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The Southwest Washington Grazing School will hold its third four-day intensive grazing course in Tenino this spring to teach locals about grazing techniques and pasture management.
Personnel from the Washington State University Extension (WSU) are organizing the program, which will run from Thursday, April 16, to Sunday, April 19.
According to a recent news release, participants should be prepared for long days and hands-on education starting at 8:30 a.m. and ending between 6:30 and 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday before finishing earlier in the afternoon on Sunday.
Staff from WSU — with support from Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ecostudies Institute, Thurston Conservation District and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Partners Program — will run the event at the Skookumchuck Grange in Tenino.
The course costs $300 in tuition for those interested in attending. It is intended for those caring for cattle, sheep, alpaca and horses.
Tuition covers the cost of meals and all program materials. Scholarships are available for veterans and all others if requested.
An announcement on the event states that the structure of the course is based on the Lost Rivers Grazing Academy run by the University of Idaho Extension. Attendees should expect to learn pasture, livestock and rotational grazing management skills.
The goal of the academy is to help those raising livestock reduce hay production and save on feeding costs while prolonging the grazing season each year.
Half of the course will be spent in the field on what program organizers refer to as “pasture learning.”
To find more information or to register for the event, visit https://tinyurl.com/ydzpkh74 or contact program organizer Stephen Bramwell at bramwell@wsu.edu.
