Welcome

The Center for Native Grasslands Management (CNGM) was opened in 2006 by the University of Tennessee to provide the scientific background needed by producers and land managers to enable them to effectively establish and manage native grasslands. High priorities for research include forage production; biofuels production (and strategies for integrating them both); restoration of native grassland communities, particularly oak savannahs and woodlands; and wildlife conservation.

No information is valuable unless it is shared. The Center’s second major focus is to make information gained through research widely available throughout the eastern United States. We are working through Extension and partner organizations to share these results with producers, land management agencies, other researchers, and wildlife conservation organizations through publications, workshops, trainings, and field days. Please explore this website and feel free to contact us should you want to learn more.

The 8th Eastern Native Grassland Symposium will be held October 1-4, 2012 in Charlottesville, VA. Please check out the website and make plans to attend!

Call for papers

Papers dealing with current research, management experiences, and innovative concepts will be considered. Preference will be given to those emphasizing the conference theme, "Native Grasses and a Changing Climate", but other relevant submissions are certainly welcome. Papers should reflect high-quality scholarship and utility to land managers, conservationists, or scientists. We look forward to receiving your submissions and appreciate the important contribution these papers will make to a high-quality conference and improved understanding of this valuable resource. Authors must designate whether they want their submission to be considered as an oral paper or poster. Only an abstract should be submitted regardless of type of presentation. Abstracts are limited to 250 words. Authors also should designate a preference for which session(s) they would like their paper to be included: Forages, Biofuels, Ecological Restoration, Wildlife Management, Seed Production/Landscaping, or Land Reclamation. Abstracts may be submitted at www.manager.cpe.vt.edu and must be received by July 1, 2012. Final abstracts and full papers for approved submissions must be received by September 1, 2012, so that the final proceedings can be assembled in time for the meeting.

2012 Forage Tours

Please come join us for a twilight forage tour to learn more about using native grasses such as eastern gamagrass, big bluestem, and switchgrass in your forage program. These highly drought tolerant, long lasting, low input, warm-season perennials can produce high yields of hay (4 – 6 tons/acre) and excellent animal performance when grazed (1.1 – 2.6 lbs. ADG on steers) during the summer. One tour will be held at the East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center-Blount Unit. Ongoing grazing trials will be visited and the latest results made available. Tour will begin at 5:30 PM local time with supper. After a brief presentation, the group will tour the native grass pastures with the researchers, extension specialists, and the Center staff managing the grazing projects. There is no cost for the tour, but you must register by Monday June 11, 2012 in order to attend. For more information, click here for a brochure describing the event.

A second tour will be held at the Alphin Stuart Livestock Arena in Blacksburg, Virginia on June 28th from 9am to 5 pm. This is a joint workshop hosted by Virginia Tech and University of Tennessee Center for Native Grasslands Management. Workshop includes a morning classroom session and afternoon field trip. Lunch and supper will be provided. For more information, click here for a brochure describing the event. Workshop is free but you must register by June 8th. Please click on the following link to register for either event.

Forage Tour Registration 2012