2026 Pasture Walk Series Recap

This summer, the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition hosted four pasture walks across the state, each one designed to put Illinois producers in front of real, working grazing systems and the farmers who run them.

Pasture walks are one of the most effective tools ILGLC has for advancing our mission. There's no substitute for standing in a paddock, looking at the forage stand, and asking a producer directly how they solved a problem you're facing on your own ground. These events are free to attend, and intentionally informal to foster conversation and idea-sharing amongst attendees.

Statewide Access

A central goal of this year's series was geographic reach. Illinois is a big, diverse state — what works in the rolling pasture of Jo Daviess County looks different from a grazing system in central or southern Illinois. By spreading our four walks across the state, we made sure producers had a realistic chance to attend an event close to home, see a system relevant to their own region, and connect with graziers working in similar conditions.

We welcomed more than 20 attendees per walk — over 80 Illinois producers total — confirming strong, consistent demand for this kind of hands-on, farmer-to-farmer programming.

This Year's Host Farms

Hartzell Kaeb — Cissna Park(June 6) Hartzell hosted the season's opening walk on his diversified operation, where he converted former cropland into productive pasture starting with zero existing infrastructure. Attendees saw how he's built a rotational system from the ground up including fencing, water, and a forage mix of legumes and cool-season grasses to support South Poll cattle, St. Croix sheep, and broiler chickens, all marketed direct to consumers off the farm.

Koester Farm — Scales Mound(June 10) In the state's far north, attendees toured a 110-cow organic dairy practicing rotational grazing across a mix of annual and perennial forages; a valuable look at how grazing principles translate to a dairy operation managed under organic standards. The Keoster family also recently implemented virtual fencing and shared their experience with fellow producers.

John Nerganah — Chapin(June 13) In west-central Illinois, John walked attendees through his use of Gallagher eShepherd virtual fence collars on his cow-calf operation. One of the more talked-about technologies in grazing circles right now, this event demonstrated the application of new technology on working pastures rather than in a vendor pitch.

Gary Weiman — Quincy(June 20) The series closed in Quincy at Gary Weiman's dairy operation, where producers saw how he integrates cover crop grazing with traditional perennial pasture, alongside a direct-to-consumer model selling milk and meat through his on-farm store.

Breadth of Learning

This year's events gave Illinois producers exposure to an wide range of grazing approaches in a single season: cropland-to-pasture conversion, multispecies grazing, organic dairy management, virtual fence technology, cover crop integration, and direct-to-consumer marketing. That breadth highlighted the fact that there is no single right way to graze in Illinois, and producers benefit most when they can see multiple models and adapt what fits their own land and goals.

Looking Ahead

The Pasture Walk Series remains one of ILGLC's lowest-barrier, highest-impact programs: free to attend, regionally distributed, and built entirely around producer-to-producer learning. With strong attendance and engagement again this year, ILGLC plans to continue offering this programming as a core part of our annual outreach. We're grateful to all of the hosts for opening their gates and sharing their operations with fellow Illinois graziers!