NRCS resource conservationist David Korman, left, and MU Extension agronomist Rusty Lee, center, work with Matthew Spiers, right, to convert cropland to pastureland on Spiers’ Wellsville farm. Photo by Linda Geist

MU Extension, NRCS partner to help farmers convert cropland to pasture

WELLSVILLE, Mo. – Matthew Spiers wants to convert cropland to pastureland for grazing.Through a joint effort by University of Missouri Extension and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Spiers plans to build a rotational grazing system so he won’t have to rent more pastureland to expand his cattle herd.

Monett farmer Mike Meier used MU Extension practices to improve his dairy operation. He is in the process of converting his dairy operation to beef by using the same proven research-based methods.Photo courtesy of Stacey Hamilton

Change helps Monett farm survive

MONETT, Mo. – Fourth-generation farmer Mike Meier knows change will help his family’s Century Farm survive.The rotational grazing and breeding system he uses for his dairy herd works. Now he wants to apply those principles to beef cattle. “At 56, I wanted to go in a different direction,” he says.He wants to see how much profit per acre he can make by switching from dairy to beef cattle. He is building his cattle herd as he prepares to…