Pasture Walks

Michigan State University Extension will be hosting pasture walks at 3 locations across the Upper Peninsula. The pasture walks will focus on management strategies to improve soil health. During drought, healthy soils allow for more rapid water infiltration and possess greater water holding capacity. Frank Wardynski and Kable Thurlow, Michigan State University Extension educators, will be discussing a project they will be working on over the next two years. The project involves working with cooperative farmers to demonstrate grazing management practices that will improve soil health and resiliency to drought. In addition to discussing the project they will also be demonstrating the process of how to identify healthy soils with water filtration and holding capacity, compaction, and the shovel test looking for soil aggregation.

Dates and Locations:

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Jon Haindl

300N Poupour Rd.

Cooks, MI 49817

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

Jon Ahlberg

1272 State Hwy M73

Iron River, MI 49935

Thursday, October 8, 2026

John Mattila

42395 Lakeview Rd,

Toivola, MI 49965

All pasture walks will start at 5:00 CST/6:00 EST