Grazing Management Workshop - News Release
Presented by CRYSTALYX® Brand Supplements

CRYSTALYX® to Host Grazing Management Workshop Prior to Range Beef Cow Symposium

For Immediate Release:
Producers and researchers will explore ways to improve the management of grazing land during the CRYSTALYX® Grazing Management Workshop December 10, at the Larimer County Fairgrounds in Fort Collins, Colorado. Don’t Fence Me In: Using Animal Behavior and Low-Moisture Block Supplements to Manage Pastures will feature the latest research from some of the country’s leading authorities on animal behavior and livestock nutrition, as well as producers who have used modified grazing distribution successfully.

“This workshop is based on ten years of GPS collar university research lead by Dr. Derek Bailey with support provided by Ridley Block Operations to evaluate the effectiveness of herding in combination with strategic supplementation areas as a grazing management tool,” Mark Robbins, Research Manager for Ridley Block Operations said. “We hope the research and information presented and discussed will help producers understand how better management of grazing land can have economic and environmental benefits, and we’ll hear from ranchers who have experienced those benefits firsthand.”

Leading off the workshop will be Dr. Fred Provenza of Utah State University discussing animal behavior issues in relation to range conservation practices. Provenza has devoted over 25 years to researching and establishing a better understanding of animal behavior and management practices. The Behavioral Education for Human, Animal, Vegetation, and Ecosystem management program
(BEHAVE), founded by Provenza, is a research and outreach program aimed at understanding the principles that govern diet and habitat selection.

The event will also highlight the extensive research CRYSTALYX® has sponsored utilizing GPS tracking systems and low-moisture supplement blocks. Dr. Derek Bailey of New Mexico State University will address the group on modifying livestock grazing distribution by strategic placement of supplement blocks and late-day, low-stress herding. Bailey will also present Grazing Distribution: The Quest for the Silver Bullet, an insight into the economic benefits not only for producers but also rural communities, when low-moisture supplements are used for guiding livestock to other areas to graze more efficiently.

USDA/FS representative Janette Kaiser will present Ecosystem Sustainability and Economic Implications on Rangeland Production Systems, illustrating how investment in ecosystem services can provide private landowners with new revenue streams and promote conservation and sustainable land management.

Following these presentations, a panel discussion will cover Modified Grazing Distribution Success Stories, featuring data-supported observations from producers that have applied innovative grazing management practices. Following the roundtable discussion a reception will conclude the workshop with opportunities for presenters to answer more specific questions by attendees.

“The overall goal of this workshop is to demonstrate the sound research path that was taken by Ridley Block Operations. That initial research effort was then reinforced by effective producer applications with rangeland grazing systems and low-moisture block supplements,” Dan Dhuyvetter, Research and Development Manager of Ridley Block Operations, said. “The event will focus on management of rangeland grazing, animal behavior, economics, implementation of supplements to move cattle to other areas as well as practical advice from producers that applied these grazing management practices.”

The workshop is open to the public and will precede the 2007 Range Beef Cow Symposium in Fort Collins. The program will begin at 1 P.M. in the Thomas M. McKee 4-H Youth & Community Building.

To view the complete schedule of the CRYSTALYX® Grazing Management Workshop and to preregister go to www.crystalyx.com.

For more information contact:

Dr. Dan Dhuyvetter
Research and Development Manager
Ridley Block Operations
Mankato, MN 56002
507.388.9488
Dan.Dhuyvetter@ridleyinc.com