A workshop on electric fencing and livestock watering options will be held September 11, 2012, near Jamestown, Ks. in Republic County. The workshop will be held at the Jamestown Log Cabin Retreat and Dale Strickler Farm, 250 Xavier Road, Jamestown, Ks. (south of Courtland).  It will begin at 8:30 a.m. and last until 4 p.m. utilizing indoor workshop and outdoor classroom for demonstrations. Lunch will be provided courtesy of Star Seed.

 Permanent and temporary fencing and water are on the minds of a lot of livestock producers, as drought hangs on in Kansas. At the September 11 workshop, Mark Green, District Conservationist in Springfield, Missouri, USDA NRCS, will discuss and demonstrate the latest in electric fence products, the pros and cons of various materials used in electric fence construction, and installation techniques.  Green will also cover livestock watering topics: water distribution for improved grazing distribution, permanent and portable tanks, above and below ground pipeline, and water sources—wells, streams, springs and ponds.

Mark Green has been with USDA NRCS since 1981. He currently is instructor and regional coordinator for the SW Missouri Regional Management Intensive Grazing Schools, and has worked with grazing management in SW Missouri for 31 years. He is a member of the American Forage and Grassland Council and is a board member for Missouri Forage and Grassland Council.

   The workshop is free, but please RSVP for handouts and food planning to Mary Howell at 785-562-8726, or kfu.mary@gmail.com.

Sponsors are the Kansas Rural Center, Kansas SARE, Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops, and Kansas Farmers Union, with funding to KRC for the workshop from the  USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA).