SPGCA 16th Annual Field Day 2024

Register for the 2024 Field Day

SPGCA Cattle Consignment Form

Vendor Registration & Catalog Advertising Form

SPGCA Field Day Agenda

Field Day Location:

Windy Acres Farm
2853 Spring Grove Rd
Appomattox, VA 24522

• Host Farm

  

  
  

  Windy Acres Farm is located in Appomattox, Virginia. Originally a dairy cattle operation, we now produce registered South Poll Grass Cattle as well as commercial herds that utilize South Poll bulls. We operate on over 500 owned and leased acres of which around 300 are in perennial grasses. Our focus has been and will continue to be low inputs on animals that thrive in our environment.

  Dakota and Ruth were married in 2008 and have 3 young children, two sons and a daughter. Both growing up in agriculture they transitioned from tobacco and produce to cattle and other livestock. We believe it is our job to steward the land for our children and future generations to come.

  Our main grazing practices here at Windy Acres are to promote healthy soils which is directly related to healthy animals and animal performance. We hope to continue to making our land and soil better every day through regenerative farming practices such as rotational grazing, no synthetic fertilizers, and working with nature instead of against it. We continually look to improve our animals through top genetics and keeping animals that thrive in our environment. We strive to provide high quality, docile South Poll Cattle to customers near and far.

• Speakers

  Jim Gerrish
  

  

  Jim Gerrish is an independent grazing lands educator, consultant, and writer providing service to farmers and ranchers on both private and public lands across the US and internationally through American Grazing Lands Services LLC. LLC. He currently lives in the Pahsimeroi Valley in central Idaho and works with numerous ranchers using both irrigated pastures and native rangeland as well as working with livestock farmers in high natural rainfall environments. His past experience includes over 22 years of beef-forage systems research and outreach while on the faculty of the University of Missouri. The University of Missouri-Forage Systems Research Center rose to national prominence as a result of his research leadership. His research encompassed many aspects of plant-soil-animal interactions and provided the foundation for many of the basic principles of Management-intensive Grazing.

  He has written a regular monthly column in The Stockman Grass-Farmer magazine for over 20 years. He has authored three books on grazing and ranch management. Management-intensive Grazing: The Grassroots of Grass Farming was published in 2004. Kick the Hay Habit: A practical guide to year-around grazing was published in 2010. Keeping it Green: A handbook for creating and managing irrigated pasture was published in 2022. He has also written a revised 2ndedition of Allan Nation’s classic book Quality Pasture published in 2019.
  

  Jim was co-founder of the very popular multi-day grazing management workshop program at FSRC. These schools were attended by over 3000 producers and educators from 39 states and 4 Canadian provinces from their inception in 1990 through 2003 when Jim left the University to go into private business. At least fifteen other states have conducted grazing workshops based on the Missouri model and Jim has taught in most of these states. He is an instructor in the University of Idaho’s Lost River Grazing Academy held annually near Salmon ID. He typically speaks at 20 to 30 producer oriented workshops, seminars, and field days around the US and Canada each year.

  For 22 of the years he spent in Missouri, he stayed in touch with the real world on a 260-acre commercial cow-calf, sheep, and contract grazing operation. In this setting, he took a worn out marginal crop farm and converted it to a highly productive grass farm. After the move to Idaho in 2004, Jim keeps his day-to-day grazing tools sharp through management of a ranch unit consisting of 450 center pivot irrigated pastures, 90 acres of flood ground, and several hundred acres of rangeland.

  While in Missouri, he was deeply involved in the Green Hills Farm Project, a grassroots producer group centered in north-central Missouri emphasizing sustainability of family farms. His research and outreach efforts have been recognized with awards from the American Forage and Grassland Council, Missouri Forage and Grassland Council, National Center for Appropriate Technology, USDA-NRCS, the Soil and Water Conservation Society, Progressive Farmer, and American Agricultural Editors Association.

  
  

  Jordan Thomas
  

  

  Jordan Thomas is a professor in the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. Dr. Thomas is a Missouri native and University of Missouri alumnus, having earned his Ph.D. in Animal Sciences in 2017. Dr. Thomas maintains an active applied research and teaching appointment focused on the management of forage-livestock systems. He coordinates the breeding program for research herds across the University of Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station, and he served as the State Cow-Calf Extension Specialist and program advisor to the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program until 2023. The primary research focus of the Thomas lab is reproductive management, with expertise in areas such as heifer selection and development, synchronization of the estrous cycle, timed artificial insemination, embryo transfer, and sex-selection technologies. Additionally, Dr. Thomas is a collaborating faculty member in the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture, contributing to interdisciplinary research and outreach efforts in the sustainable management of beef cattle production systems.

• Local & Area Attractions

  Appomattox, VA
  • Appomattox Court House Nat'l Historical Park https://www.nps.gov/apco/index...
  • Museum of the Confederacy https://acwm.org/acwm-appomatt... These are highly encouraged for the history lover or if time permits!
  • Holliday Lake and James River State Parks https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/s...
  • Clover Hill Living History Village https://www.appomattoxhistoric...
  
  Lynchburg, VA-(20-30 Minutes from Appomattox)
  https://www.virginia.org/blog/...
  • Liberty University, University of Lynchburg, Randolph College
  • Blackwater Creek Trail
  • River Ridge Mall for retail shopping and youth attractions like Seaquest and Bounce About
  • Jump Trampoline Park
  • Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest https://www.poplarforest.org
  • Liberty Mountain Snowflex Center https://www.liberty.edu/campus...
  • Downtown- recent revitalization efforts have this area thriving- many locally owned shops and dining options, river walk https://downtownlynchburg.com/
  
  Farmville, VA (30 minutes from Appomattox)
  • High Bridge Trail- rails to trails biking/walking/scenic bridge https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/s...
  • Green Front Furniture Warehouses https://www.greenfront.com/vis...
  • Longwood University and Hampden Sydney College
  • Sandy River Outdoor Adventures https://www.sandyriveroutdoora...
  
  Bedford, VA
  • The National D-Day Memorial https://www.dday.org/visit/
  • Blue Ridge Parkway, Peaks of Otter Hiking and Lodge https://www.brpfoundation.org/...; https://www.peaksofotter.com/
  
  Within 1.5 hours of field day site are Richmond, Charlottesville, and Roanoke
  All bigger than Lynchburg and offer more attractions. Another fun thing is Virginia's LOVE signs- One of our tourism slogans is "Virginia is for lovers" and LOVE signs have popped up all over for photo ops and in all of the above towns- made from items that represent the area. https://www.virginia.org/love/
  • Jamestown settlement is 2.5 hours east.
  • Closest beach is VA Beach, 3.5 hours east
  
  Large amusement attractions in VA are:
  • Busch Gardens/Water Country (2.5 hours east)
  • Kings Dominion (2 hours east)
  • Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park, Williamsburg (2.5 hours)

• Hotel Information

  Appomattox Inn and Suites
  447 Old Courthouse Road
  Appomattox, VA 24522
  434-664-2018, call directly to book under block, Rooms held until 8/29

  (This is closest at about 10 minutes from site and our suggestion unless someone prefers to be closer to a larger area with more retail shops/dining which is Lynchburg)

  Comfort Inn and Suites
  15001 Wards Road
  Lynchburg, Va 24502
  434-266-1111, call to book, rooms held until 8/21

  LaQuinta Inns & Suites
  3320 Candler's Mountain Road
  Lynchburg, Va 24502
  434-847-8655, call directly, rooms held until 8/19