Other than a brief introduction by the host farmer, there is usually no formal discussion or format. The walk is followed by some refreshments back at the house. Some networks invite special speakers or plan pasture walks around a particular topic. Five of the networks offer a series of pasture walks on the same farm in order to follow the farm s progress through the season and learn how the host farmer deals with changes over time. These grass series walks are particularly helpful for advanced graziers because they allow for a more in-depth discussion of how complex grazing systems function.
Network challenges Nearly three-quarters of the networks listed specific challenges on the survey.
While six cited issues related to grazing management, others listed issues related to network functioning and leadership. Over half of the networks listed meeting the needs of both new and established graziers as a challenge. New graziers obviously benefit from the experience and knowledge of those who are more experienced, but these experienced graziers are facing issues different from those faced by new graziers and may receive less useful information at a general pasture walk. To address this challenge, some networks use grass series walks and winter discussion groups geared towards advanced graziers. Others have closed their membership so they can focus on special topics such as seasonal dairying, referring new graziers to other sources of information.