Last week, members of the Pennsylvania Grazing Lands Coalition had the opportunity and privilege of attending the 7th National Grazing Lands Coalition Conference held at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, Nevada.

The event was nothing short of first class! With over 500 registered attendees, it provided the ability to get to speak with and network with farmers and ranchers of all types and sizes of operations.

There were several folks from right here in PA who spoke during the 3 day conference. Duane Hertzler acted as moderator during the concurrent sessions that took place.

George Lake of Thistle Creek Farms spoke about his grass fed beef operation during the Conservation Innovation Grant session.

And Glen Cauffman of Pure American Naturals gave a talk on the pitfalls of treating what you produce as a commodity versus a value added product.

It was an all around wonderful and educational event and with 13 different sessions in 6 different rooms running concurrently, there was sure to be something for everyone! I would argue that it was best to come in pairs and divide and conquer so as not to miss a session if there were two at the same time that you were interested in.

But if you weren’t able to divide and conquer, the good news is that all discussions were video taped and will be online for viewing shortly.

The next event will be held in three years and will be on the East Coast. If you were on the fence about attending this year, we highly recommend you add it to your bucket list for 2021!