Integrating Livestock Grazing on Grain Farms
CCA CEU's are available for this episode
Nutrient Management CEUs: 1
Livestock on farmland is a core soil health principle. Grazing animals improve soil health and fertility, and can also give a big boost to farm profitability with animal sales. But integrating livestock often means adjusting a rotation to fit grazing and finding new markets for those new field crops. It also means implementing new farm systems or adjusting existing ones, such as water, fencing, pasture management, and labor.
Learn from two producers with complimentary perspectives on integrating grazing. One who grew up grazing on their organic grain farm, and another who returned to the home farm and has integrated cows for the last 5 years. We’ll discuss the systems that are crucial to consider when bringing cows onto a farm, and hear how Clint and Knute manage them. We’ll talk about crop rotations that fit grazing, marketing, and timing, so that listeners can come away with both the big picture and the important details.
This episode will be useful for advisors, farmers, technical service providers, and anyone else who wants to understand how grazing can work on organic grain farms.
This is a free Zoom Event!
SPEAKERS
Clint Epley
Clint Epley is a lifelong resident of Pana, IL, where he lives with his wife and daughter. He grew up on his family’s farm, which transitioned their 1,000 acres to organic in 1998. Clint has a Bachelor’s Degree in Ag Business and Agronomy and runs his family’s feed mills. He also helps manage his family’s 3,000 acre organic farm along with his great uncle Jack Erisman, and his father and brother. They grow corn, beans, small grains, and perennial forage. They have an organic cow/ calf grazing operation. Keeping animals on the farm has been an agricultural value since Clint’s great grandfather. Along with the County Board, Clint also serves on the Farm Bureau Board of directors, Pana Township Board, and Knights of Columbus.
Knute Severson
Knute Severson is a fifth-generation farmer and rancher. He graduated from Iowa State University with a BS in horticulture and a minor in agronomy and started his career as a salesman at a local cooperative in 2017. That same year, he and his wife (Amanda) started Grand View Beef, a 100% grass fed beef operation selling directly to end consumers. In 2019, Knute took ownership of the local Pioneer sales agency, where he started Agronomy First. With a passion for regenerative farming, he began offering custom drilling of cover crops, small grains, perennial grass mixes and soybeans. As a seed and chemical supplier, he encouraged and implemented multiple regenerative farming practices in partnership with area farmers. In August of 2025, Knute walked away from the Pioneer sales agency to dedicate his time fully to Grand View Beef and the transition of his farming acres to organic production. Grand View Beef's growth has enabled animal integration to become an important part of his century family farm's operation, diversifying crop rotations and reducing inputs all while increasing revenue for both his parents' operation and his own.
Sam Oschwald Tilton, Facilitator
“I have worked with organic farmers all over the US and Canada to understand production systems and solve weed management issues. This past season, on farms and in winter conferences, I spoke with as many farmers and ag professionals as I could to understand the questions that organic producers have, and the experts that they’d like to learn from. Those conversations helped me identify the topics and guests for this series. I am excited to bring together a wide range of farmers and ag professionals from many backgrounds, all of whom have an experienced perspective to share. In each call I look forward to having an intelligent conversation with the guest that introduces the topic to those who are unfamiliar and also dives deep to bring further understanding and clear tips to listeners. After the conversation, we’ll take questions from listeners, so that they can communicate directly with each guest to get the answers that they need. My goal for this call series is to provide crucial information on topics facing organic and transition-curious farmers, in an approachable conversation that listeners can easily listen to during their lunch hour.”
“Integrating grazing animals can help grain producers widen their rotation, improve soil health, and increase profitability - join us to learn how two farmers have made grazing work on their organic grain operations.”