Cow efficiency: More pounds, less feed, more profit

Event information

Date

Monday, July 8, 2024

Add to Calendar 2024-07-08 10:00:00 2024-07-08 14:00:00 Cow efficiency: More pounds, less feed, more profit With high feed costs, improving whole-farm feed efficiency for beef and dairy operations is crucial for maximizing herd profitability. Join the Minnesota Dairy Initiative and UMN Extension for a free educational event focusing on cow efficiency and forage production.Leading industry professionals and University specialists will discuss cow efficiency for beef and dairy operations, and how to maximize tonnage and profitability per alfalfa acre.Following lunch will be a panel discussion that includes Wade Kidman of Chandler Seed/Byron Seed to discuss cover crop mixes and alternative forages. Justin Decker, conservation agronomist, will discuss what programs and assistance are available to area producers. Following the panel discussion, area forage equipment representatives will be on-site to demonstrate and discuss some of the latest updates in haying equipment and forage preservation. Pipestone County Fairgrounds Pipestone County Fairgrounds Pipestone County Fairgrounds America/Chicago public

Time

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Central time

Location

Pipestone County Fairgrounds
10th Ave SE
Pipestone, MN 56164

Contact

Melissa Runck, Extension educator, Ag Production Systems
mkrunck@umn.edu or 507-825-1193

Brittany Moorse, Minnesota Dairy Initiative program coordinator
Brittany.moorse@pcmn.us or 507-830-4415

Lillian Dose, Ag Production Systems intern
ldose@umn.edu or 507-825-1195

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With high feed costs, improving whole-farm feed efficiency for beef and dairy operations is crucial for maximizing herd profitability. Join the Minnesota Dairy Initiative and UMN Extension for a free educational event focusing on cow efficiency and forage production.

Leading industry professionals and University specialists will discuss cow efficiency for beef and dairy operations, and how to maximize tonnage and profitability per alfalfa acre.

Following lunch will be a panel discussion that includes Wade Kidman of Chandler Seed/Byron Seed to discuss cover crop mixes and alternative forages. Justin Decker, conservation agronomist, will discuss what programs and assistance are available to area producers. Following the panel discussion, area forage equipment representatives will be on-site to demonstrate and discuss some of the latest updates in haying equipment and forage preservation.

Audience

Beef and dairy producers, those selling feed to beef and dairy operations, and industry professionals

Language

This offering is delivered in English. Interpreter services may be available with an advance request.

Cost

Free

Accessibility

University of Minnesota Extension is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services, and activities. To request accommodations for persons with disabilities, contact the Pipestone Extension office at 507-825-1190 two weeks before the start of the event. Requests received after this date will be honored whenever possible.

Registration

Please register at the link below or by calling the Pipestone Extension office at 507-825-1190. Thanks to generous sponsor support, door prizes will be given away following lunch. A special thank you to T&B Sales of Pipestone for donating a cattle mineral feeder to be given away!

To be eligible for door prizes, you must register for this event by Sunday, July 7.

Schedule

10-11 a.m. Optimizing beef cow nutrition and management
Grant Crawford, Merck Animal Health Associate Director-Cattle Technical Services
Calf prices are at or near an all-time high. Because of this, it is important to ensure that cow/calf nutrition and management optimize health, growth, and reproduction. This discussion will focus on key factors associated with cow nutrition and management and what impact these factors can have on cow/calf profitability.

10-11 a.m. What makes a “feed-efficient” dairy cow?
Isaac Salfer, assistant professor of dairy nutrition, University of Minnesota
Increasing the feed efficiency of individual cows is worthwhile but challenging. It requires a multi-faceted approach, including proper ration formulation and reduction in animal stress. As we try to improve feed efficiency, it is useful to think about and minimize sources of energy loss from the animal.

11 a.m.-12 p.m. Alfalfa persistence is profit
Scott Newell, alfalfa outreach specialist, UW-Madison Extension
This presentation will focus on alfalfa traffic management for productivity and profitability, maximizing profitability from hay acres through quality, stand management, and getting the most hay production in the third year; and combining alfalfa into other cropping systems.

12-12:45 p.m. Lunch – sponsored by Pipestone County Cattleman’s Assn.

12:45 – 1:15 p.m. Panel discussion with Wade Kidman, Chandler Feed Company/Byron Seeds forage and seed specialist, and Justin Decker, conservation agronomist

1:15-2 p.m. Latest updates in haying equipment and forage preservation

Equipment demonstration – Sterling Equipment, C&B Operations, Gorter’s Clay & Dairy Equipment

Refreshments courtesy of First Bank and Trust of Pipestone, lunch will be provided by the Pipestone Area Cattlemen’s Association. The Pipestone County Dairy Association will have soft-serve ice cream served by 2024 Princess Kay of the Milky Way Finalist, Katelyn Welgraven.