Join us for a free pasture walk at Hartzell Kaeb's operation in Cissna Park — a chance to see what a cropland-to-pasture conversion looks like three years in, on a diversified farm that's doing a lot of things right.
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 here or contact Jacob Hamilton at (217) 770-7098 or Jacob@ilgrazinglands.org.