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

Bringing animals back onto crop fields — residue, covers, and whole-farm reintegration.

Source

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

Integrating livestock

30 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
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
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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
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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
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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
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
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
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
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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.