FERDINAND — Producers interested in improving their grazing management or looking to start a grass-finished beef enterprise should consider attending the Heart of America Grazing Conference Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 22 and 23, to hear from leaders in the grazing industry.

The Indiana Forage Council is organizing the 2019 conference. The Heart of America Grazing Conference is an annual event that moves around the Midwest. The host site for the conference is the Ferdinand Community Center. Registration for the event will be $90 if registration is complete by Dec. 31. Prices increase after this date. Registration information is available at www.indianaforage.org.

Funding for the 2019 Heart of America Grazing Conference is in part from the Indiana Livestock Grant Program awarded by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.

Keynote speakers include Dr. Keith Johnson, Forage Extension Specialist, Purdue University;

Dr. R.P. Cooke, owner 499 Ranch, writer Beef Producer Magazine; Dr. Dennis Fennewald, Tennessee Tech University; Dr. Ray Smith, Forage Extension Specialist, University of Kentucky,

Dr. Grant Burcham, Director, Heeke Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory; and Dr. Scott Flynn, Pasture and Land Management, Corteva Agrisciences.

Topics include Starting a Grass-Fed Beef Operation, Changing Pasture Composition through Grazing Management, Grazing Technologies and Gadgets, Red Clover, More than Just Nitrogen, Forage Related Animal Disorders, Matching Forage Resources to Livestock Stage of Production and Understanding Forage Plant Growth and Rest Requirements.