Penn Soil Resource Conservation and Development Council will co-sponsor a Grass-fed Grazing Workshop and Marketing Field Day next month to benefit grass-fed beef producers from northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio. 

The field day will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 4 at the Miller Livestock Company Farm near Kinsman, Ohio.

The farm is at 9590 Kinsman Pymatuning Road, Kinsman, Ohio, however, the farm is just 2 to 3 miles west of the Pennsylvania/Ohio state line, so it is well-placed to benefit grass-fed producers from both states.

Aaron and Melissa Miller will host the field day and they have been farming for nearly 35 years, raising grass-fed and pastured livestock for direct-to-market sales since 1999. 

Aaron and Melissa will guide a farm tour and discuss grass-fed meat production, animal evaluation, and selection. 

Natural Resources Conservation Service staff from Pennsylvania and Ohio will highlight watering systems, forage identification, and soil health information for those in attendance.

Two continuing education credits in nutrient management have been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for state-certified nutrient management planners attending this event.

The field day also will feature Douglas Katz, executive chef at fire food and drink restaurant at Shaker Square in Cleveland. Katz is an advocate for healthy, local and sustainable food systems and will discuss topics related to marketing products such as product selection and availability, pricing, relationship building and contracting orders.

The field day is open to the public and the cost to attend the workshop is $10 per person, which includes a lunch featuring Miller Livestock Company grass-fed beef. 

Participants are urged to register early — the deadline is Aug. 24 — as space may be limited. Registration is available online with a credit card at the Penn Soil RC & D website, www.pennsoil.org, or you can print a registration form and mail a check to Penn Soil RC & D Council, 4000 Conewango Ave., Warren, PA 16365 to reserve your spot. 

Participants who have a disability and require accommodation to attend can contact the NRCS at 814-726-1441, Ext. 1.

Andy Gaver is a conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Butler County.