OSU Sheep Team

Rory Lewandowski, Athens County Extension Educator

An Athens area grazing council meeting/pasture walk is scheduled for Thursday, July 23 beginning at 6:30 pm. The meeting will be hosted by Curt Cline at a Meigs County property he plans to develop into a grazing system. The land currently has no fence or water and has been used for hay production. Curt is working with the Meigs County NRCS and SWCD office on an EQIP contract to help him develop the grazing system.

This is a good opportunity to learn about the planning process of developing a grazing system, including fence and water options. Other topics that will be covered at the meeting include: Making Management Decisions Based on Goals, Soil Fertility, Preparing Pastures for Winter Stockpiling, Use of Hay, Pasture Management and Internal Parasite Control in Small Ruminants.

Resource people include: Cathy Bobo, Athens SWCD, Jason Crislip and Steve Jenkins from the Meigs County NRCS/SWCD office, Daryl Clark, retired OSU Noble County Extension Educator and Rory Lewandowski, OSU Extension Athens County. Dr. Bill Shulaw, OSU Extension Veterinarian will conduct the session on pasture management and parasite control.

Curt is planning to provide grilled lamb samples and some light refreshments for the meeting. In order to help him plan the amount needed, please RSVP by contacting the Athens County Extension office at (740) 593-8555 by Monday July 20 if you plan to attend. Participants may want to consider bringing a lawn chair to sit in during the sampling following the meeting.

Directions to the farm: (Doug Lowther property)
From Albany OH ….Take RT 32 west to St RT 143. Turn left on St RT 143, go approximately. 4-5 miles to Salem-School Lot Rd. Salem School Lot Rd. is just past the Columbia Township Fire Dept. Turn right on Salem-School Lot Rd. and go approximately 2 miles. Farm is on the left. Watch for “Grazing” signs.