Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Council
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Industry, Farmer, Scientist Working Together Toward A Sounder Grassland Program 9
Oregon Native Finds Green Pastures In Pennsylvania
Philip Landis with flock of free-range turkeys he raised on
rented pasture near Lititz. The birds use grass more efficiently
than chickens do, with nearly 50 percent of their diet provided by
the pasture forages, Landis said. Photo by Dave Lefever
fiTiTil
Southeast Pa. Grazing Conference,
Ouarrwille. through Feb. 12.
Forage Expo, Lebanon County
Expo Center. 9 a.m.-2.30 p.m.
Forage Expo, Lancaster County
Farm and Home Center, 9 a.m.-3
p.m.
Mid-Atlantic Direct Marketing
Conference and Trade Show, York
Expo Center, through Feb. 23.
Warm-Season Grasses Meeting, Co
lumbia County Ag Center, also
Feb.2B.
Northwest Pa. Grazing Conference,
Dubois Ramada Inn, 8:30 a.m.-4:30
P.m^^
Pa. Grazing and Forage Confer
ence, Holiday Inn, Grantville,
through Thursday. March 7.
Bradford/Tioga Grazing Confer
ence. Trov Fire Hall. 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
(Turn to Page 6)
Pennsylvania Forage & Grassland Council
Newsletter Section February 9, 2002
Conference Promises Grazing And Forage Expertise
Forage Specialist, 1,200-Cow Dairy Grazier Featured
GRANTVILLE (Dauphin Co.)
The 2002 Pennsylvania Grazing and
Forage Conference March 6 and 7
will feature numerous presentations
and discussions on grazing and
forages.
If you have an interest in learning
more about large grazing systems,
plant diversity in your pastures,
biosecurity on your farm, hay pro
duction for horses, dealing with tall
fescue in your pastures, or any other
grazing and forage topics, you
should plan to attend the conference
at the Holiday Inn, Grantville.
Among the featured speakers will
be Charlie Opitz, a 1,200 cow dairy
grazer from Wisconsin, and Ray
Smith, an extension forage specialist
from Virginia Polytechnical Insti
tute.
Smith has conducted research on
breeding and management of both
tall fescue and alfalfa. His experi
ence with tall fescue makes him ide
ally qualified to lead a presentation
on “Tall Fescue and Endophyte
Issues.”
Smith and Glenn Moyer, a sea
sonal dairy grazer from Franklin
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
LITITZ (Lancaster Co.) In the
spring of 2000, Philip Landis placed
a want ad in the Lancaster Farming
mailbox markets. He was looking
for pasture to rent for starting a
grass-based livestock operation in
the area.
Raised in the Willamette Valley
south of Portland, Oregon, Landis
wanted to grow animals as naturally
as possible, in a climate that was fa
vorable to pasture growth. Although
Oregon is known for abundant rain
fall, the precipitation in Landis’s
home area comes mainly in winter,
with summers too dry for good grass
production, while late winter and
spring are too wet to put livestock
on pasture.
“No one makes hay in May in
Oregon,” Landis said.
Two farmers from the northeast
part of Lancaster County responded
County, will lead the tall fescue dis
cussion, focusing on plant and
animal health concerns.
Smith organizes and conducts
grazing programs and works closely
with with extension agents and pro
ducers in the field doing grazing re
search. He is currently conducting
research on establishment and
maintenance of legumes in a grazing
system, as well as organizing and
running a grazing school in Vir
ginia.
Opitz will discuss how he and son
Mark operate a 3,000-acre grazing
system for their 1,200-cow milking
herd. Their grazing program started
in 1986. The herd is crossbred, in
cluding Brown Swiss, American
and New Zealand-based Holstein,
and Normande genetics.
The Opitz’s system includes more
than 100 paddocks containing a di
verse mix of grasses and legumes de
veloped from intensive
Crossbred beef cattle roam the pastures of Pond Hollow Farm,
Martins Creek. Elwood and Pauline Fox switched to rotational
grazing after years of conventional dairy farming and raising dairy
heifers. See story page 8.
PhotQ by Deanna Canter, Carbon
to his ad. Landis agreed to rent a
plot of pasture from each and began
his business of producing “uncom
monly good meat,” including
turkey, lamb, beef, and chicken
raised on pasture. He also offers
eggs from pastured hens, veal from
whole-milk-fed calves and pork
from naturally-fed hogs.
Landis earned a degree in agron
omy from Oregon State, a land
grant university where “almost no
attention was given to direct mar
keting,” he said.
After a stint of rural economic de
velopment work in Colorado,
Landis turned to livestock produc
tion based on sustainable systems.
“I’m more interested in the biol
ogy of things,” he said. “We try to
approach the natural ideal, taking
into account the lifestyle of the
animal.”
(Turn to Page 2)
management.
“You have to understand your
grasses and how they grow,” Opitz
said.
“We concentrate on getting the
cows high quality grass every 12
hours.”
Opitz will discuss their system
and its operation on March 6.
On the following day, Opitz and
Gary Burely, a 500-cow grazer from
New York, will talk about what
steps they have taken to maximize
their grazing management skills.
Larry Muller of Penn State will
wrap up the presentations by ad
dressing the question “Can the U.S.
remain competitive in grazing?”
Wednesday evening will offer in
formal discussions with many of the
presenters. Three different discus-
sion groups will be conducted on the
topics of dairy grazing, livestock
(Turn to Page 4)
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