NW-PA Project Grass will meet at Hoss’s in Grove City on Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. There will be a business meeting in the morning followed by an afternoon presentation on “Nutrition and Management of Tall vs. Intensive Grazing” by Dr. Kathy Soder.

Soder is an animal scientist with the USDA-ARS-Pasture Systems and Watershed Management in State College. Her presentation will be on the nutritional considerations of milk cows, beef cattle and small ruminants with various pasture management.

Soder conducts research on the nutritional requirements and grazing behavior of pasture-based dairy livestock and how these types of systems can be manipulated to optimize forage and animal productivity.

In addition to her professional duties, Soder and her family raise Dorset sheep in central Pennsylvania near Petersburg.

The public is welcome, and those attending may order lunch at their own expense from Hoss’s menu.

For more information, call 724-376-3186.

Backgrounding cattle

Keystone Beef marketing Network in conjunction with USDA NRCS will be hosting several meetings in the area through the month of February.

• Feb. 10 at the Hoss’s in Belle Vernon

• Feb. 12 at Pyler’s in Brookville

• Feb. 24 at the Hoss’s in Indiana.

This program will focus on learning the economics and infrastructure for backgrounding cattle on grass, touching on the cattle market and the need for backgrounders in Pa.

KBMN will highlight their programs that can help producers buy, sell and even finance cattle.

NRCS will be on hand to discuss how we can help plan and implement grazing systems through our financial programs as well as learn how to set upthe costs of a grazing system, to put low cost pounds on cattle.

These meetings offer a complimentary dinner at 6p.m. followed by the program, but attendees are asked to register at least one week ahead by contacting Blaine Winger at 724-996-8608 or bwinger@uproducers.com.

Andy Gaver is a conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Butler County.