Education

A core leg of the Exchange: curated partner teaching on covers, bringing livestock back, managed grazing, silvopasture, and shrinking diesel and fertilizer. We summarize and credit; the full piece lives on the author's site.

50 resources from OSU, Penn State, Kentucky, WVU, SARE, OEFFA, and Stratford — lined up with FarmTec / Stinner fossil-fuel themes.

Theme

All themes Cover crops & forage Integrating livestock Cutting fossil-fuel inputs Managed grazing Equipment & on-farm energy Silvopasture

Source

All partners OSU Extension (14)Penn State Ext. (13)UK Extension (5)WVU Extension (4)SARE (4)OEFFA (6)Stratford (4)

Curated shelf

50 resources

Sustainable Crop Rotations with Cover Crops
Ohioline · Ohio State University Extension · May 2009
Authors: James J. Hoorman, Rafiq Islam, and Alan Sundermeier
Ohioline fact sheet on cover species after wheat, soybeans, corn, and silage — including which grasses and brassicas work for grazing while building soil and recycling nutrients.
Cover crops & forageIntegrating livestock
Read on the source site
Do Cover Crops Grown for Feed Need Fertilizer?
Ohio BEEF Cattle Letter · OSU Extension · December 2019
Authors: Christine Gelley
Argues strip-grazing covers beats mechanical harvest for nutrient return and machinery cost, and when soil tests plus livestock redeposit mean fertilizer can stay off.
Cover crops & forageIntegrating livestockCutting fossil-fuel inputs
Read on the source site
Grazing Intensity and Move Frequency for Rotational Systems
Ohioline · Ohio State University Extension · February 2025
Authors: Kyle Verhoff and Jason Hartschuh
How hard and how often to graze: rotational systems average ~30% more forage, temporary fence and portable water for flexibility, and sacrificial paddocks when soils are wet.
Managed grazing
Read on the source site
Stockpiling Cool-Season Grasses with Fall Nitrogen
Ohioline · Ohio State University Extension · June 2025
Authors: Ted Wiseman and Dan Lima
Tall fescue stockpile for late fall and winter: when to shut the gate, N timing/rate, clover dilutions, and strip-grazing a three-day allocation to roughly double grazing days vs. continuous access.
Managed grazingCutting fossil-fuel inputs
Read on the source site
Giving New Life to Tired Pastures
Ohioline · Ohio State University Extension
Authors: Dean Kreager, Christine Gelley, and Theodore Wiseman
Restoring overgrazed Ohio pastures: residual heights, rest periods, and rotational timing so plants stay vegetative and roots rebuild instead of opening ground to weeds.
Managed grazing
Read on the source site
Targeted Grazing of Native Warm-Season Grasses
Ohioline · Ohio State University Extension
Authors: Alexandre Fameli Mammana, Emanoella Otaviano, Ricardo Henrique Ribeiro, and Marília B. Chiavegato
Height and removal-rate targets for warm-season natives vs. cool-season mixes — more frequent, lighter bites keep green leaf and quality up across the Ohio growing season.
Managed grazingCover crops & forage
Read on the source site
Post Corn, Going to Soybean: Use Cereal Rye
Ohioline · Ohio State University Extension
Authors: Midwest Cover Crops Council and Ohio State University Extension
Midwest Cover Crops Council “recipe” for cereal rye after corn ahead of soy — no-till friendly, grazing/feed restrictions noted, and terminate early in dry springs.
Cover crops & forage
Read on the source site
Attributes of Cereal Rye as a Cover Crop
Ohioline · Ohio State University Extension
Authors: Ohio State University Extension
Why rye dominates Ohio covers: nutrient scavenging, aggregate stability, weed suppression, and how planting method and termination timing change the risk profile.
Cover crops & forage
Read on the source site
IDEAS Crop and Livestock Integration Project
Agroecosystem Management Program · The Ohio State University
Authors: Doug Jackson-Smith, Marilia Chiavegato, Ryan Haden, Steve Lyon, Ajay Shah, and Cassandra Brown
On-farm study across eight Ohio counties comparing modes of crop–livestock integration; perennials and manure stood out for soil biological health. Team is building Extension recommendations from the work.
Integrating livestockCover crops & forageCutting fossil-fuel inputs
Read on the source site
A more efficient harvest (hybrid tractor research)
The Ohio State University · Center for Automotive Research · January 2026
Authors: Center for Automotive Research and Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
OSU automotive / FABE work on hybrid off-road tractors — full battery packs still struggle at high horsepower; hybrids cut fuel use up to about 21% in tested duty cycles.
Equipment & on-farm energyCutting fossil-fuel inputs
Read on the source site
Cereal Rye as a Cover Crop in Ohio
Ohioline · Ohio State University Extension · March 2023
Authors: Sarah Noggle and Rachel Cochran
Midwest Cover Crops Council species profile for Ohio: rye rates Excellent for grazing, N scavenging, and weed fight; bump the seeding rate when livestock will graze, and terminate before corn with starter N in mind.
Cover crops & forageIntegrating livestock
Read on the source site
Oats as a Cover Crop in Ohio
Ohioline · Ohio State University Extension
Authors: Ohio State University Extension and Midwest Cover Crops Council
Quick-growing cool-season cover rated Excellent for grazing and interseeding — raise the rate if animals will graze, expect winterkill in most Ohio winters, and use starter N when corn follows.
Cover crops & forageIntegrating livestock
Read on the source site
Annual Ryegrass as a Cover Crop in Ohio
Ohioline · Ohio State University Extension
Authors: Ohio State University Extension and Midwest Cover Crops Council
Deep fibrous roots and Excellent grazing marks — also hard to kill and not for casual use. Termination timing, herbicide resistance risk, and when experienced producers still choose it.
Cover crops & forageIntegrating livestock
Read on the source site
Forage Turnip as a Cover Crop in Ohio
Ohioline · Ohio State University Extension
Authors: Ohio State University Extension and Midwest Cover Crops Council
Brassica cover rated Excellent for grazing; keep turnips under about 35% of the diet, plant in a mix for erosion control, and raise the seeding rate on slopes or for forage.
Cover crops & forageIntegrating livestockManaged grazing
Read on the source site
Integrating Grazing into Cropping Systems: Grazing Cover Crops for Soil Health
Penn State Extension · Updated October 2022
Authors: Sjoerd W. Duiker, David W. Hartman, Kathy J. Soder, Justin L. Brackenrich, and Divya Pant
Five soil-health principles for grazing covers: armor, no-till, diversity, living roots, and livestock. Emphasizes take-half/leave-half, frequent moves, and avoiding wet pugging.
Cover crops & forageIntegrating livestockManaged grazing
Read on the source site
Intensive Grazing Management of Cover Crops for Soil Health
Penn State Extension
Authors: Sjoerd W. Duiker and Divya Pant
On-farm Adams and Franklin County results: MiG moves every 1–2 days delivered ~1,200–2,300 lb/acre DM while leaving about half the residue; bulk density recovered and soil biology often improved.
Cover crops & forageManaged grazingIntegrating livestock
Read on the source site
Potential to Integrate Grazing into No-Till Systems
Penn State Extension · Updated September 2025
Authors: Sjoerd W. Duiker and Jessica A. Williamson
Perennial–annual rotations, grazed covers, and residue grazing on continuous no-till — grazed forage often costs half or less of machine-harvested feed, with no manure-spreading pass.
Integrating livestockCover crops & forageCutting fossil-fuel inputsManaged grazing
Read on the source site
Stockpile Grazing and Soil Health
Penn State Extension
Authors: Sjoerd W. Duiker
Rest cool-season perennials 60–70 days before frost, then winter-graze the standing feed — with notes on puddling risk and how biology repairs surface compaction.
Managed grazingCutting fossil-fuel inputs
Read on the source site
Extending the Grazing Season – Stockpiling Pastures for Fall Grazing
Penn State Extension
Authors: Jessica A. Williamson
Defer grazing from late July/early August, choose stockpile-friendly species (tall fescue, brome, birdsfoot trefoil), and cut winter hay/hauling costs for 2–3 months.
Managed grazingCutting fossil-fuel inputs
Read on the source site
Extending the Grazing Season with Plant Diversity
Penn State Extension
Authors: Sjoerd W. Duiker and Jessica A. Williamson
Warm-season annuals and perennials plus cool-season annuals fill summer slumps and free perennial paddocks to stockpile — no-till makes the rotations practical.
Managed grazingCover crops & forageIntegrating livestock
Read on the source site
Plant Diversity to Extend the Grazing Season
Penn State Extension
Authors: Sjoerd W. Duiker and Jessica A. Williamson
Case-style look at stacking cool- and warm-season perennials and annuals toward nearly 300 grazing days a year while resting paddocks for stockpile.
Managed grazingCover crops & forage
Read on the source site
Tips to save farmers money on fuel and fertilizer
Penn State University · College of Agricultural Sciences · May 2026
Authors: Andrew Frankenfield
Practical diesel cuts: gear up / throttle down, match tractor to the job, economy PTO, kill idle, and continuous no-till (~3.6 gal/acre less fuel). Cover legumes credit 30–40 lb N/acre.
Cutting fossil-fuel inputsEquipment & on-farm energyCover crops & forage
Read on the source site
Natural gas-powered tractor for ag science research at Penn State
Penn State University
Authors: Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences and CNH / New Holland
New Holland T6.180 methane tractor on campus for tillage, planting, haying, and Extension teaching — an alternative path off diesel where digester or landfill gas is available.
Equipment & on-farm energyCutting fossil-fuel inputs
Read on the source site
Cover Crops for Livestock Grazing
Penn State Extension · Updated November 2025
Authors: David Hartman
Decision guide for grazing covers in a cash-crop rotation: fencing and wet soils, cattle class, why annuals alone rarely beat perennials for cows, and diverse mixes that cut hay bills while building soil.
Cover crops & forageIntegrating livestockManaged grazingCutting fossil-fuel inputs
Read on the source site
Strategies for Extending the Grazing Season
Penn State Extension · Updated November 2025
Authors: Marvin H. Hall and Jerry Jung
Stockpile tall fescue and birdsfoot trefoil, then add fall growers — prairie grass, brassicas, and small grains — for 60–90 extra grazing days and less stored feed, diesel, and labor.
Managed grazingCutting fossil-fuel inputsCover crops & forage
Read on the source site
Silvopasture Could Work on Your Farm
Penn State Extension · Updated October 2025
Authors: David Hartman
Why managed trees-plus-livestock differs from unmanaged woods grazing: shade gains without manure campouts, site selection, and Northeast learning paths before you thin or plant.
SilvopastureManaged grazingIntegrating livestock
Read on the source site
2024–2025 Fall-Seeded Winter Forages and Cover Crops
Penn State Extension · July 2025
Authors: Weiya Xue
Rock Springs and Landisville variety trial: annual ryegrass, cereal rye, barley, and triticale yields and quality under single- and multi-cut systems after October planting — numbers for grazing or harvest planners.
Cover crops & forageManaged grazing
Read on the source site
Grazing Cover Crops
UK Master Grazer · University of Kentucky Extension
Authors: Ray Smith, Christopher Teutsch, and Jeff Lehmkuhler
Master Grazer guidance for KY: wheat and cereal rye mixes, fencing realities on cropland, which cattle classes pay, and contracting with a neighbor when you lack the planter.
Cover crops & forageIntegrating livestockManaged grazing
Read on the source site
Stockpiling Tall Fescue
UK Master Grazer · University of Kentucky Extension
Authors: Ray Smith, Christopher Teutsch, and Jeff Lehmkuhler
Every day on stockpiled fescue saves hay, labor, and equipment — quality holds through frost better than most cool-season grasses; strip-graze for maximum days.
Managed grazingCutting fossil-fuel inputs
Read on the source site
Rotational Grazing (ID-143)
University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension
Authors: Ray Smith, Garry Lacefield, Roy Burris, David Ditsch, Bob Coleman, Jeff Lehmkuhler, and Jimmy Henning
Classic UK Cooperative Extension bulletin: rotational grazing cuts machinery, fuel, and facility cost while improving utilization, waste distribution, and season length.
Managed grazingCutting fossil-fuel inputs
Read on the source site
Extending Grazing and Reducing Stored Feed Needs (AGR-199)
University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension
Authors: Don Ball, Ed Ballard, Mark Kennedy, Garry Lacefield, and Dan Undersander
Southern Extension classic: warm-/cool-season mixes, stockpile math (~80 cow-days/acre at 70% efficiency), crop residue, dormant alfalfa, and strip grazing to shrink hay dependence.
Managed grazingCutting fossil-fuel inputsIntegrating livestock
Read on the source site
Managing Small Grains for Livestock Forage (AGR-160)
University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension
Authors: University of Kentucky Forage Extension
Wheat, barley, oat, rye, and triticale as dual-purpose grain, cover, and livestock forage — grazing, silage, and hay while scavenging residual N after summer annuals.
Cover crops & forageIntegrating livestock
Read on the source site
A Quick Guide to Pasture and Grazing Management
WVU Extension Service · July 2017
Authors: Ed Rayburn
Three principles — fertility, timing/intensity, and matching forage supply to demand. Move at 8–12 inches in and 2–4 inches out; never leave animals on a paddock more than seven days.
Managed grazingCutting fossil-fuel inputs
Read on the source site
Grazing for Appalachian Sustainability (GRASS)
WVU Extension · Applications open through September 2026
Authors: WVU Extension
USDA-backed WVU Extension project helping beef and sheep producers shift to soil-health grazing — prescribed grazing, fencing, watering, silvopasture, and related NRCS practices. Summer 2026 applications close mid-September.
Managed grazingIntegrating livestockSilvopasture
Read on the source site
Cover Crops
WVU Extension
Authors: WVU Extension
WVU overview of grasses, legumes, and brassicas as living armor — including using covers as livestock feed, not only green manure.
Cover crops & forage
Read on the source site
Pasture Management (resource hub)
WVU Extension
Authors: WVU Extension
Index of WVU pasture sheets: fencing, watering, stockpile, stocking rate, plate meters, and extending the grazing season to cut stored-feed costs.
Managed grazingCutting fossil-fuel inputs
Read on the source site
Let’s Talk! Integrating Crops & Livestock (infographic narrative)
USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) · 2022
Authors: Green Lands Blue Waters and SARE
Spectrum from hauling cover forage to temporary fence and in-field grazing — grazing cuts fuel, equipment wear, and manure-handling compared with mechanical harvest and feedlot feeding.
Integrating livestockCover crops & forageCutting fossil-fuel inputsManaged grazing
Read on the source site
Maximizing Integrated Crop & Livestock Systems Value
SARE / Green Lands Blue Waters · August 2022
Authors: Laura Paine, Amy Fenn, Jane Jewett, and Erin Meier
Midwest Forage Association piece from a SARE-funded project: grazing aftermath and covers saves stored feed, labor, and manure handling that enterprise accounting often misses.
Integrating livestockCutting fossil-fuel inputsCover crops & forage
Read on the source site
Grazing Cover Crops (Managing Cover Crops Profitably, Ch. 12)
USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
Authors: SARE
SARE chapter on why grazing is often the fastest path to making covers pay: cool- and warm-season windows, MiG moves that limit trampling, and how manure and saliva feed soil biology while cutting hay dependence.
Integrating livestockCover crops & forageManaged grazingCutting fossil-fuel inputs
Read on the source site
2026 National Cover Crop Survey Report
USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) · 2026
Authors: SARE, CTIC, and ASTA
About one in three cover-crop users grazed or fed covers; 77% of those graziers said it improved profitability. Survey highlights fencing, water, and virtual fence as the next barriers to scale.
Cover crops & forageIntegrating livestockCutting fossil-fuel inputs
Read on the source site
Soil Health, Silvopasture, and Other Grazing Adaptations
OEFFA · Ohio Organic Farmer Researcher Network · June 2025 event archive
Authors: Matt Falb and Ohio Organic Farmer Researcher Network
Ohio Organic Farmer Researcher Network seminar with Wayne County farmer Matt Falb on silvopasture and grazing covers on neighboring farms — OEFFA / Central State / OSU collaboration.
Integrating livestockManaged grazingCover crops & forageSilvopasture
Read on the source site
Cover Crops and Grazing (Ohio No-Till / TNC field day)
OEFFA events · Ohio No-Till / TNC · June field day archive
Authors: Ohio No-Till Council and The Nature Conservancy
Listed on OEFFA’s calendar: Ohio No-Till Council and The Nature Conservancy soil-health field day tying regenerative covers to grazing — gateway to TNC Ohio ag programming.
Cover crops & forageIntegrating livestockManaged grazing
Read on the source site
Silvopasture in Practice: Buckskin Valley Farms tour
OEFFA events · Rural Action · August 2025
Authors: Charlie Eselgroth and Rural Action
Charlie Eselgroth’s dairy planting trees into pasture for shade, tree crops, and habitat — Rural Action on hand for technical assistance and funding paths.
SilvopastureManaged grazingIntegrating livestock
Read on the source site
Silvopasture Tour: Hidden Creek Pasture
OEFFA events · Rural Action
Authors: Wendall Miller, Carla Miller, and Rural Action
Seven-acre silvopasture on a Noble County pastured beef and chicken farm — Wendall and Carla Miller’s managed grazing on rolling woods and pasture.
SilvopastureManaged grazing
Read on the source site
Grazing Innovations and Opportunities (Grim Dairy)
OEFFA Farm Tour Series
Authors: Eric Grim, Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship, and OEFFA
Eric Grim on dairy grazing infrastructure, Pasture.io forage tracking, and Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship paths — OEFFA Farm Tour with OOFRN.
Managed grazingIntegrating livestock
Read on the source site
Ask an OEFFA educator
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association
Authors: OEFFA Education Team
Help desk for soil health, covers, organic transition, USDA programs, and sustainable production — John and Adam’s team as a living education resource.
Cover crops & forageIntegrating livestock
Read on the source site
Life on the farm: no-till drill, roller/crimper, and pasture dividers
Stratford Ecological Center · May 2023
Authors: Pauline Scott and Farmer Jeff
Pauline Scott’s farm journal: permanent pasture dividers for better grazing patterns, early season clover/alfalfa grazing, and a donated Great Plains no-till drill plus roller/crimper so Farmer Jeff can plant into covers without tillage.
Managed grazingCover crops & forageEquipment & on-farm energyCutting fossil-fuel inputsIntegrating livestock
Read on the source site
Life is good at Stratford: corn nurse-crop covers for graze or hay
Stratford Ecological Center · July 2026
Authors: Pauline Scott
Field 6 mix of corn with winter peas, barley, and crimson clover — corn comes off in fall; the understory stays as high-protein cover for spring hay, balage, or grazing, which the farm calls the most beneficial use.
Cover crops & forageIntegrating livestockManaged grazing
Read on the source site
Stratford Ecological Center — educational farm & preserve
Stratford Ecological Center
Authors: Stratford Ecological Center
236-acre certified organic demonstration farm and nature preserve in Delaware County: livestock, gardens, 8-year rotations, and hands-on programs for children and adults.
Integrating livestockManaged grazingCover crops & forage
Read on the source site
Stratford field trips and outdoor classroom
Stratford Ecological Center
Authors: Stratford Ecological Center
Guided farm and nature learning — animals, sustainable practices, and where food comes from — for schools booking the outdoor classroom.
Integrating livestock
Read on the source site

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Educators and members: point us at a fact sheet, bulletin, or farm tour write-up. Hosts curate before it lands on the shelf — we need the outlink and author credit.

Attribution

Every card names the authors and publisher and links to their post, PDF, or project page. Summaries are written for the Exchange; they are not reprints.