What does a cropland-to-pasture conversion on a diversified farm look like after three years?
Join us for a free pasture walk at Hartzell Kaeb's operation in Cissna Park for your chance to see it in action.
In 2022, Hartzell took 75 acres of former crop ground and built a full grazing system from scratch, fencing, water, and forage establishment included. Today, he runs South Poll cattle, St. Croix sheep, and broiler chickens on that ground, with a forage mix heavy in legumes and cool-season grasses. He sells non-certified organic beef, lamb, and broilers direct to consumers off the farm.
This walk is a rare chance to see multispecies grazing in action on converted ground and talk through what it actually takes to get there.
What we'll cover
Converting cropland to pasture: Hartzell's approach starting with zero infrastructure
Establishing a productive forage mix of legumes and cool-season grasses
Fencing and water systems built from the ground up
Running cattle, sheep, and chickens together in a rotational system
Selling beef, lamb, and broilers direct to consumers
Open Q&A with Hartzell
This event is free and open to all Illinois producers.
Register or contact Jacob Hamilton at (217) 770-7098 or Jacob@ilgrazinglands.org.