News
WIU baling campus grass for livestock feed
Western Illinois University plans to bale grass on campus to reduce mowing and increase supplies of cattle feed on the University Farm.
The directors of agriculture and facilities management are collaborating on the project that sets aside grass on 32 acres of University property that will be grown to maturity and baled this summer.
During a time of stretching budget dollars, the project will cut back on the hours university employees spend mowing and produce 50 to 60 large bales of a grass/clover mixture.
School of Agriculture Director Andy Baker says the University farm typically uses at least 300 large round bales of hay to feed their beef herd and this project will help fill the shortage they expected to have this winter.
He says they will return to traditional mowing when students come back to campus in the fall.
