Saving pasture for use during winter grazing is a great feed for cattle.

The longer you can be out on pasture and forages, the better, but that can't happen in every situation. At times, you need to pull livestock to a sacrifice area.

Harry Cope of Cope Grass Farm discusses strategies for growing high quality forage for year-round grazing. He spoke with Logan Karcher, Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition director of producer programs, about changing our mindsets when it comes to growing grass. Learn what he has done successfully on his Missouri farm.

Adaptive grazing requires adaptive water and fencing systems to make it all work. Jeremia Markway of Markway Ranch discusses with Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition Director of Producer Programs Logan Karcher what options livestock producers have for their setting up temporary grazing pastures.

The foundation of a profitable forage and livestock operation is healthy soil. Luke Jones of Understanding Ag joined Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition Director of Producer Programs Logan Karcher in February 2026 for a 40-minute discussion of building and maintaining healthy soil.

“The benefit of having animals on the land is the improvement in soil health. Everything’s connected to everything,” Ted Krasukopf, Hickory Flat Cattle Company.

The Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition team discusses managing late fall grazing and concerns following a hard freeze. As we look deeper into winter, the group discusses the nutritional needs of fall pairs, winter feeding strategies, and fighting the mud we know is coming.

Summer 2025 has created challenges for growers and graziers across Illinois. Learn what three farmers are doing to extend the growing season and manage their drought plan.

Learn what other Illinois growers and graziers are doing on their farms to improve their livestock grazing operations. The quarterly online chats will be heavy on conversation, light on slides, so you can listen in wherever you are — in the pasture, in the truck, or home.

H-Braces are the foundation of your whole fencing system. Logan Karcher, director of producer programs for Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition, takes us through each step of construction with clear and simple demonstrations, from the tools you'll need to the finished product.

After you move cattle to a new paddock, check the consistency of the manure and the plant residuals to determine if cattle are getting the proper nutrition while leaving adequate forage behind for regrowth.

A grazing stick helps producers know how much forage the herd needs and how large to make your paddocks.

Choosing the right time to move your cattle to a new grazing paddock will improve your herd's average daily gain performance.

A refractometer is used to measure brix, the sugar content in plants. Understanding the quality of your forages will help you adjust the forage options for your livestock.

Brix scoring is important because it tells us how much sugar content is in our forages and the nutrition density in our dry matter.

There is much to gain by turning livestock out on cornstalks. First, there are a lot of them across Illinois, 11.2 million acres, in fact. For minimal cost, fields can be converted to provide nutritional needs of beef cattle. And, grazing has collateral benefits for next year’s row crop.