Released April 7, 2008

EVERETT, Wash. -- When cheap corn prices in the United States led livestock producers to switch from traditional forage crops to corn for feed, Europe and the United Kingdom did not follow suit. Root crops and alternative forage crops remain the mainstay of European dairy, beef, pork and sheep production.

Peter Garland, one of the UK’s leading experts on the topic, is making a rare West Coast visit and will present a workshop for Washington State University Snohomish County Extension.

The workshop will be held on Wednesday, April 23, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the WSU Snohomish County Extension office. The office is located at 600 128th Street S.E. in Everett.

The workshop is free but pre-registration is required. To register call Karie Christensen at (425) 338-2400 or email klchristen@cahe.wsu.edu.

Peter Garland has been in the UK seed trade since 1970, starting with Charles Sharpe & Co Ltd., and specializing in forage grass and forage brassica crops. His responsibilities include processing, technical, seed production, and sales. Now with Advanta UK, Garland is responsible for forage crop seed production in both the UK and overseas, including the United States.

His presentation will cover the brassica and beta species that can be fed to livestock as part of a balanced diet. These feedstocks can be grazed, harvested as silage, or dug and stored for winter confinement feeding. Just one acre of modern day fodder beets can provide as much as 38 tons of winter feed.

Topics to be covered will include the history, cultivation, utilization, and potential yields of specific crop species based on current UK practices in areas with climate and growing seasons similar to Western Washington.

For more information contact Kate Halstead at (425) 357-6024 or khalstead@wsu.edu/.

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http://cahnrsnews.wsu.edu/reportertools/news/2008/livestock-feed-2008-04.html

Contacts: Denny Fleenor, (206) 972-8590, dfleenor@wsu.edu

Kate Halstead, (425) 357-6024, khalstead@wsu.edu