LUCEDALE, Miss. -- Farmers can learn about free-range livestock rearing and pecan orchard practices during the Aug. 18 Alliance of Sustainable Farms field day.

Sweet Grass Pastures in Lucedale will host the event. Topics include raising pastured poultry, beef and pork using rotational grazing. Attendees will tour the farm’s pecan orchard, and farm owners will demonstrate how to set up a mobile chicken coop and mobile hog fencing.

The field day is free, but preregistration is required. Onsite check-in begins at 10 a.m. The program begins at 10:30 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. Sweet Grass Pastures is located at 1128 Wayne Lee Road in Lucedale.

Limited-resource growers who attend can sign up to participate in a short focus group meeting led by Mississippi State University personnel after the field day. The meeting will help MSU personnel learn about barriers these farmers face. Focus group seats are limited to 10, and interested individuals must register for the group in addition to the field day.

To register for the field day or focus group, contact alliance manager Keith Benson at keithmdp@yahoo.com or 601-988-4999. For travel directions, call farm owner Nathan Scott at 601-508-9986.

Alliance field day partners and sponsors include the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Alcorn State University Extension Program, University of Mississippi Transactional Law Clinic, National Center for Appropriate Technology, Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, and Mississippi Department of Education.

Contact: Keith Benson, 601-988-4999