Winter, 1990 (v2n2)
	Hopland Pasture Management Meeting New developments in pasture management were presented to an overflow audience of ranchers at UC's Hopland Field Station October 21. The meeting was co-sponsored by Mendocino County Cooperative Extension and the Mendocino County Farm Bureau. Improvements Save $ Sonoma County Farm Advisor Stephanie Larson demonstrated that "spending money to make money" by improving pasture through seeding, and fertilizing with phosphorus and possibly sulfur can be more cost-effective than buying hay. Hopland agronomist Milt Jones emphasized the importance of using freshly inoculated seed when planting a legume such as a clover. Controlled Grazing Several presentations focused on controlled grazing, a management technique that limits the length of time fields are grazed, allowing time for pasture to recover. Conventional grazing methods allow animals to graze continuously throughout fields. Controlled grazing requires planning, flexibility, and a holistic view of the ranch, according to Dave Pratt, Napa and Solano counties farm advisor. Milt Jones presented preliminary results from the first year of a study funded by UC SAREP at Hopland comparing controlled and continuous grazing. Pratt and Larson demonstrated training sheep to electric fencing. Plant, Animal Pests Mendocino County Farm Advisor Glenn McGourty reviewed the successes and failures in biological control of weeds. "Biocontrol will usually not eradicate weeds, but may keep them at low levels," he said. Other tools are usually still needed, he added. Controlling vertebrate pests is a constant challenge, as described by Hopland Superintendent Bob Timm, who has experimented with several breeds of guard dogs in the last two years with wildly varying results. Hopland is one of nine University of California agricultural field stations and centers located throughout the state. They include Deciduous Fruit Field Station in San Jose, Imperial Valley Agricultural Center in El Centro, Kearney Agricultural Center in Parlier, Lindcove Field Station in Exeter, Sierra Foothill Range Field Station in Browns Valley, South Coast Field Station in Irvine, Tulelake Field Station in Tulelake, and West Side Field Station in Five Points. Index for Sustainable Agriculture Winter, 1990