Registration deadline is May 15, 2023. To register, go to: https://opp.mt.gov/doa/opp/DNRRangelandResourceProgram/cart

About

Registration is open now through May 15 for the three-day 406 Grazing Academy workshop to be held June 6-8 in southwestern Montana. Montana State University and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation are hosting the workshop, which is aimed at ranchers seeking to hone their grazing management skills. Classroom activities will take place at the Forge Hotel in Anaconda, with field activities held on working ranches in Deer Lodge Valley.

Workshop participants will gain practical information designed to help them make strategic decisions for their ranches. MSU educators, Montana ranchers and other range managers from across the state will lead the workshop, sharing expertise on topics that include economic optimum stocking rates, diverse grazing strategies, range monitoring, extending the grazing season, livestock-wildlife relations, targeted grazing, and coping with drought, wildfire and poisonous plants. 

Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop to practice navigating online tools, such as the USDA Web Soil Survey. Participants may also bring a map of their ranch for ranch-specific questions and discussion.

Registration and Lodging

Registration is $200 per person and covers educational materials, a range monitoring kit valued at more than $200, lunches and evening meals, and an optional follow-up ranch visit from an instructor later in summer or fall.

Participants are responsible for their own travel and lodging. A block of rooms at the Forge Hotel is available at a reduced rate using block code: 406 Grazing. Registration and room block close May 15, with limited space available.

To register, go to: https://opp.mt.gov/doa/opp/DNRRangelandResourceProgram/cart. 

For more information, contact any of the following: Stacey Barta at sbarta@mt.gov or 406-594-8481; Jeff Mosley at jmosley@montana.edu or 406-994-5601; or Rachel Frost at frost@montana.edu or 406-994-3724.

Hosts

The event is a collaboration between the MSU Extension Range Management Program, the Rangeland Resources Program in the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and the Dan Scott Ranch Management Program in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences in MSU’s College of Agriculture. Montana Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative is the academy sponsor.