Cow-Calf Systems with Limited Perennial Pastures Meetings, December 12-14

In a joint effort, Kansas and Nebraska Extension are hosting a 3 meeting series to address some possible options to help maintain cattle inventory with limited perennial pastures. Topics at these meeting will include confined cow feeding and management, usage of corn residue, cover crops and annual forages systems.

• The first meeting will be held on December 12, 2017 at the Helvering Center (111 S. 8th St, Marysville, KS) with a start time of 6:30 pm. Please RSVP to Anastasia Johnson at anastasia@ksu.edu or 785-562-3531. 

• The second meeting will be held December 13, 2017 at the Blue Hill Community Center (555 W. Gage St. Blue Hill, NE) with a start time of 6:30 pm. To attend the Blue Hill meeting please RSVP to Brad Schick, brad.schick@unl.edu or 402-746-3417. 

• The final meeting of the series will be December 14, 2017 at the Gateway Civic Center (1 Morgan Dr. Oberlin, KS) with a start time of 6:30 pm. RSVP to Alyssa Rippe, alyssar@ksu.eduor 785-475-8121. 

Dinner will be provided. Please RSVP to the respective contacts for the meeting of interest by December 8, 2017. There is no cost to attend, but RSVP is needed for an accurate meal count. 

The speakers for the event include extension specialists from Kansas State University and University of Nebraska. 

• Dr. Mary Drewnoski is a Beef Specialist with UNL based in Lincoln. She will be speaking about “Thinking outside the box: economical forage options”. Drewnoski is part of an interdisciplinary team evaluating Economical Systems for Integrated Crop and Livestock Production in Nebraska. Her current research and extension program is focused on the utilization of crop residues and cover crop forage for backgrounding calves and feeding beef cows.

• Dr. Jaymelynn Farney, Beef Systems Specialist with Kansas State University, will discuss “The dos and don’ts of cover crop (annual forages) grazing – from a livestock perspective”. Farney is housed in the Southeast Research and Extension Center in Parsons, KS where she spends her time working on research and outreach for practical cattle management. Here primary areas of emphasis include cover crop/annual forage usage, supplementation for growing cattle, and cow-calf management.

• “Confinement cow feeding – the science and the art” is the title of Dr. Karla Jenkins talk. Jenkins is a cow/calf specialist for UNL housed at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff, NE. Her research program includes finding more efficient and economical ways to produce beef cattle while sustaining the range resource. Since 2009 she has been studying limit feeding energy dense by-products mixed with crop residues to maintain beef cows in confinement to provide grazing deferment for range, maintain a core herd from liquidation, or as part of a system to reduce dependency on pasture. Additionally she evaluates annual forage crops and alternative uses for crops such as field peas or sugar beets as components in beef cattle diets to improve sustainability and efficiency of cattle operations in western Nebraska. Her extension program involves working with producers to explain and implement practices found to be beneficial through research.