Amy Barkley and Josh Putman, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s SWNY livestock and field crops specialists, will present virtual classes on pasture management on Thursday evenings starting Feb. 25.

Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock, and Field Crops Program will be offering virtual training opportunities on pasture management topics including weed identification and management, frost seeding, pasture design and rotational grazing.

Classes will be held on four consecutive Thursdays starting Feb. 25. All classes will begin at 6:30 p.m. and run for one hour, with the exception of “Early Season Weed Management” which will run for an hour and a half. There is a $10 to $15 registration fee per class.

“Early Season Pasture Weed Management” will provide 1.5 DEC credits in Categories 1a, 10, and 21. To receive credits, participants will need to have their pesticide license available to show the instructors and be present for the entirety of the live class. To register, visit tinyurl.com/PastureWeedManagement.

All About Frost Seeding, at a cost of $10, will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 4. Frost seeding can improve pastures. Josh Putman will discuss why, when and how to frost seed, including seed types and volumes, establishment areas, cropping decisions, and fertility considerations. To register, visit tinyurl.com/FrostSeeding.

Designing Your Grazing System for 2021 and Beyond, at a cost of $10, will be Thursday, March 11, at 6:30 p.m. Amy Barkley will explore the facets of developing a grazing plan including considerations surrounding field conditions, pasture species, livestock species, grazing intensity, watering systems, and fencing considerations. To register, visit /tinyurl.com/GrazingSystemDesign.

Rotational Grazing Management costs $10 and will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 18. Barkley will give tips on how to build a grazing calendar from the bottom up, includingstocking densities, rest times, measuring forage availability and how to keep paddocks healthy and productive. To register, visit tinyurl.com/RotationalGrazingManagement.

Webinar links and call-in numbers to the virtual classroom will be shared the day prior to the presentation by email. Printed copies of the notes and CD recordings of the lectures will be made available upon request. Those who prefer to register by phone can call Kelly Bourne at 585-268-7644, ext. 10, or email klb288@cornell.edu. Registration is required and will close the day prior to each class.

For more information about the series, contact Amy Barkley, livestock and beginning farm specialist, at amb544@cornell.edu or 640-0844.