Frontier Extension District and the Anderson County Conservation District will host a public meeting to “Keep the Cows Grazing.” The meeting will be Dec. 10, 2019, at the Community Building, North Lake Road, Garnett, Kan. It will begin at 10 a.m. and run through mid-afternoon. RSVPs are required for a free lunch; call Debbie at 785-448-6323 ext.101 if you plan to attend.
The goal of the meeting is to help producers improve grazing management, farm profitability, water quality, and soil health. This can be done by changing stocking rates, improved grazing management, and by changing winter feeding habits.
Dr. Bob Weaber, state Extension cow/calf specialist at Kansas State University, will present “Reducing Cow Size without Sacrificing Calf Performance” and “Stocking Rate Adjustments to Reduce Hay Costs.”
Dale Strickler, agronomist with Green Cover Seeds, will discuss “Using Cover Crops to Fill our Forage Gaps-What Should We Plant and When Should it be Grazed.” Stickler will also talk about, “Grazing and Soil Fertility.”
John Jennings, University of Arkansas Extension forage specialist and featured speaker, will talk over “Can we Graze for 300 Days a Year?” and “How Grazing Reduces Costs.” He will also bring all the discussions of the day together and get producers thinking what they can do to “Keep the Cows Grazing.”
Rod Schaub, Frontier Extension livestock production agent, outlined the theme of the meeting: “In order to improve efficiency, the biggest expense must be cut first. And in beef production winter feeding expenses can account for more than 50 percent of cow/calf production costs.” He said Kevin Dhuyvetter, former KSU agriculture economist found in the most efficient beef producers, herd size mattered but was not the only route to efficiency.
“Yes, they can buy in larger quantities and more fully use their equipment, but he also found that small producers can still compete if they have control of their winter feed costs. And grazing in the winter rather than feeding harvested forages was how they did it,” he said.
How can producers take what they have and become more efficient? Find out at this free public meeting on Dec. 10, at Garnett.
For more information, contact Schaub at Frontier Extension District, Lyndon, or call 785-828-4438.
Information thanks to Frontier Extension District.
