(By Nebraska Extension)

SCOTTSBLUFF -- The Knowing, Growing, and Grazing Grass webinar series was held in 2024-25.

The Nebraska Extension webinar series had a total of 58 producers from eight states attend and was led by three instructors. 

Participants in the webinar planned immediate operational changes. They developed written grazing plans, adjusted stocking rates and rotations, reduced overgrazing, and adopted Rangeland Analysis Platform and Web Soil Survey tools. Along with the operational changes, producers projected an average economic benefit of $11.25 per acre through enhanced efficiency, drought resilience, and soil health, bringing a potential $1.2 million impact across the participants’ lands. 

The web-based format delivered six to eight interactive virtual sessions in 2024–25. Participants received the tools they needed through the mail, including grass identification books and Extension Circulars, which boosted hands-on learning and real-life examples from participants were used.

The program achieved exceptional outcomes: 100 percent of respondents reported significant to moderate knowledge gains, with 80–90 percent improving across all topics. Participants were asked to rank their knowledge prior to and after participating in the “Knowing, Growing and Grazing Grass” Course on topics presented on? a scale of 0-100, with 0 being no knowledge and 100 being extremely knowledgeable. In 2025, pre-to-post knowledge scores surged by +22 to +63 points across eight topics, led by +63 in Rangeland Analysis Platform, +56 in Grazing Response Index, and +48 in Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) insurance usage.

The program impacted 18,400 cattle and 106,277 acres, driving a clear shift to adaptive, data-informed management. 

Interested in attending in 2026? Instructors are now planning the next series for the fall of 2026. Contact Aaron Berger at aberger2@nebraska.edu for more information.

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Nebraska Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture. Nebraska Extension educational programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.