Contract Grazing Factsheet Series Now Available

Click here to view the original press release.

Contacts: 

• Joe Sellers, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach beef program specialist, 641-203-1270, [email protected]
• Sherry Hoyer, Iowa Beef Center, 515-294-4496, [email protected]

AMES, Iowa — A new four-part series of fact sheets on contract grazing for cattle is now available on the Iowa Beef Center (IBC) website. Two Iowa State University Extension and Outreach specialists are Iowa representatives to the specialized working group within the Green Lands, Blue Water project that developed the new resource. Iowa State Extension beef program specialist Joe Sellers said he and small farms specialist Andy Larson worked with project members from Wisconsin and Minnesota to identify needs and information for those who graze cattle.

“Our group has been working on these fact sheets as a source of assistance to graziers and cattle owners who use custom grazing in their management schemes,” Sellers said. “As cow numbers increase and available pasture acres decrease, we want people to recognize and learn more about options for their operations.”

One such option is the development of working partnerships with other producers to access pasture through contract grazing. Each of the four new fact sheets focuses on one topic related to contract grazing: contract grazing basics, evaluating land suitability, rental and lease agreements, and contract grazing rates.

The fact sheets can be viewed, download and printed at no cost from these links:

1.     The Basics of Contract Grazing (http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/information/ContractGrazing1Basics.pdf)
2.     Evaluating Land Suitability for Grazing Cattle (http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/information/ContractGrazing2LandEval.pdf)
3.   Pasture Rental and Lease Agreements (http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/information/ContractGrazing3Leases.pdf)
4.   Rates Charged for Contract Grazing Arrangements (http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/information/ContractGrazing4Rates.pdf)

These fact sheets can be used to supplement existing grazing-related information on the IBC website, specifically under “Cattle Grazing Survey 2007” http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/research_projects.html

The Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University was established in 1996 with the goal of supporting the growth and vitality of the state’s beef cattle industry. It comprises faculty and staff from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Veterinary Medicine, and works to develop and deliver the latest research-based information regarding the beef cattle industry. For more information about IBC, visit www.iowabeefcenter.org