Strategies to Extend the Grazing Season: Grow & Graze Webinar Recap

Written By Rosalie Trump

On September 16, the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition (ILGLC) hosted its second quarterly “Grow and Graze” webinar, continuing our mission to provide peer-to-peer learning opportunities for Illinois livestock producers. The session drew strong interest with 45 registrants and an engaged group of participants who joined the live discussion.

Peer-to-Peer Learning Format

Like all Grow and Graze webinars, the session was designed as a conversation rather than a presentation. Logan Karcher (ILGLC Director of Producer Programs) moderated the discussion, joined by Dan Sanderson of Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm and David Kleinschmidt of Progressive Agronomy Consulting. Together, the panelists shared updates from their operations, real-world challenges, and strategies Illinois graziers can apply in their own systems.

Highlights from the Discussion

The evening’s agenda started with a review of summer drought challenges followed by strategies for planning a successful fall and winter grazing season. Key topics included:

  • Summer Review

    • Benefits of warm-season forages for summer grazing

    • Managing overmature cool-season forages and weeds

    • Maintaining cow body condition during breeding season

  • Fall Strategy

    • Managing drought stress and leaving adequate residuals

    • Balancing the need for fall grazing and winter stockpiling

    • Species selection and seeding methods for fall forage

    • Cover crop grazing strategies after harvest

  • Winter Planning

    • Planning for winter annuals

    • Infrastructure considerations

    • Bale grazing strategies

    • Mud management

The webinar also highlighted the launch of ILGLC’s new “How-To” Video Series and introduced producers to The Grazing and Forage Hub (grazingforage.com), ILGLC’s new online resource.

More to Come

This Grow and Graze webinar demonstrated the value of producers sharing knowledge directly with one another, while also connecting technical insights from experts. Participant questions added depth to the conversation, and attendees left with multiple takeaways they can implement in their operations.

ILGLC will continue the series with the next Grow and Graze webinar on December 2, 2025, where the focus will shift to winter challenges and spring planning. Register here: https://grazingforage.com/events/winter-webinar

Rosalie Trump
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