Northeast SARE Welcomes Grazing Aficionado, Jim Gerrish to Graze-A-Palooza II
The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program along with the Madison County “Conversations in Grazing Series” are excited to join forces once again to bring one of the most knowledgeable, practical grazing researcher/ ranchers in the Northern Hemisphere to Central New York on September 11th and 12th, 2009. Mr. Jim Gerrish of American Grazing Lands Services LLC of May, Idaho joins a growing list of seasoned pasture managers including Dave Forgey, Greg Judy, Kevin Fulton and Kit Pharo that the NESARE Speaker Fund has sponsored to teach the art and skill of grazing management.
Jim is no stranger to leading the charge for improving the bottom line through grazing management. He coined the phrase, MIG—Management Intensive Grazing as an accurate account of how important managing all the on-farm resources and human capital is for a sustainable business. His wildly popular book, Management-Intensive Grazing: The Grassroots of Grass Farming chronicles aspects of grazing management from animal behavior to water systems and everything in between. He is a regular contributor on the principles of pasture management to the Beef Magazine, The Stockman Grass Farmer and on the lecture circuit. His 20 year tenure at the University of Missouri leading the nation in beef-forage systems research and outreach has garnered awards from the American Forage and Grassland Council, Missouri Forage and Grassland Council, National Center for Appropriate Technology, USDA-NRCS, the Soil and Water Conservation Society, and Progressive Farmer.
Jim’s experience and passion for grazing extends to the farm. The Gerrish Family own Circle Pi Ranch, a 450 acre irrigated pasture paradise that feeds 600 head of cattle and wildlife. Jim’s wife, Dawn, manages a fencing business as part of the diverse activities as well as coordinates on-farm pasture walks and consultation work around the country. The Gerrish’s “walk the talk” period! Jim is famous for saying, “When you buy an acre of land, you buy a 43,560 sq. ft. of solar panel”. He also has spent significant time developing grazing strategies that extend the grazing season and questions why we need to feed so much hay with un-tapped grass resources right in your own neighborhood. He accepts change as a constant and has even questioned President Bush, saying, “Turning back to more natural production systems with less reliance on petroleum and more reliance on ecosystem processes makes a world more sense than the rampant, oil driven industrial processes currently endorsed by your administration”.
Jim will use his expertise to lead farmers, conservation professionals and consumers on daylong pasture walks thru the classroom under your feet. This question-driven mobile learning center combats being power-pointed to death and gets to the “biological root” of what is really happening on the land. This hands-on approach to knowledge is why Jim Gerrish has been so successful in helping so many to find sustainability in their operations around the globe.
If you feel compelled to explore the green side of your business and want to be challenged or inspired by a true leader in the field, mark your calendar and join the new generation of graziers that see the future and value of a local grass-based system. Contact Troy Bishopp, “The Grass Whisperer” at the Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District, (315) 824-9849 or troy-bishopp@verizon.net for the details of registration and directions to our host farms in Madison County, NY.
For more info on The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education go to nesare.org
Learn more about Jim and Dawn Gerrish by going to www.americangrazinglands.com