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21st K-State Beef Stocker Virtual Field Day October 1

Educational Sessions from KLA and K-State Field Days Available

Annually the Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) along with the Kansas State University beef team organize and host KLA/K-State Field Days around the state of Kansas. The first was hosted Aug. 13 at W & S Ranch Inc., owned and operated by the Weltmer family southeast of Smith Center, and the second Aug. 18 at G-Three Cattle Co., owned by the George family near Uniontown.

The educational sessions from both field days have been recorded and are posted on the KLA website. Program highlights for the Aug. 13 event include discussions on leveraging genetics to achieve cow herd objectives, managing and planning for tough economic times, optimizing gain with post-weaning nutrition and combating farm stress.

Educational sessions for the Aug. 18 field day include a panel discussion on the utilization of cover crop grazing systems, an outlook on the markets and the geopolitical factors that affect them, optimizing cow herd efficiency and combating ag stress.

Thanks to even sponsors Farm Credit Associations of Kansas and Bayer Animal Health.

KSU Beef Team Hosts "Drought Preparedness for the Cow-Calf Producer" Webinar

The webinar included tips to help Kansas beef cattle producers prepare to manage and reduce the impacts of drought and reduced forage availability on cow herds.

>> PDF of slides

K-State Beef Team Hosts "Managerial Tools and Tips in an Uncertain Climate and Market" Webinar

The program featured tips to help Kansas beef cattle producers make management decisions in light of the current weather patterns, ranging from flooding to drought, in Kansas and calf market volatility following COVID-19.

>> PDF of slides

>> Watch video of presentation

K-State Hosts "Troubleshooting Uncertain Times in the Beef Industry" Webinar

The program featured brief updates on the current market situation from K-State Agricultural Economist Dr. Glynn Tonsor and a discussion on alternative protein sources led by Extension Specialists Dr. Jaymelynn Farney and Dr. Justin Waggoner. Dr. Dale Blasi, K-State extension beef cattle specialist, will address nutrition and management considerations that may be implemented by producers growing cattle in these challenging times.

>> PDF of slides

>> Watch video of presentation

Management and Nutritional Considerations for Growing Cattle Under COVID – 19 Conditions

The long reaching consequences of COVID – 19 on the livestock industry has created the necessity for self‐evaluation and in many cases, making monumental changes to common management and nutritional approaches to growing and finishing beef cattle.

In March, sales of feeder cattle fell well below what was earlier anticipated. In April, the array of announced shutdowns at meat processing plants created disruptions, which have resulted in extended planned delivery dates. Combined, this “clogging” in the beef supply chain has created subsequent challenges in terms of potential shortages of available pen space to accept new arrivals of feeders. Consequently, many growers are re‐assessing prospects of longer‐term ownership of their feeder cattle.
>> Read more

KSU Cattlemen's Day 

Kansas State University's Animal Sciences and Industry Department hosted Cattlemen's Day 2020 on Friday, March 6 at Weber Hall in Manhattan. Featured speakers during the morning session were: Lorna Marshall, vice president of beef programs for Select Sires of Plain City, Ohio, and Oklahoma State University livestock economist Derrell Peel.

Consider The Value Of Genomics: Buying Bulls Better

By Bob Weaber, Cow-calf Extension Specialist

Bull buying is an activity on the horizon for many cow-calf producers. With the spring sale season just around the corner it is a great time consider your bull buying strategy. In addition to revisiting your breeding system (make sure you capture the value of maternal heterosis) and alignment of selection criteria to production/marketing constraints, producers should evaluate the opportunity to purchase bulls that have been genotyped. Many seedstock producers are genotyping their sale offering to support the purchase decisions of their commercial customers. Sometimes the genotyped bulls cost a little more, but the added value far exceeds the cost. >> Continue Reading

Tally Time: Management Minder outlines your production year

Technology has been developed that makes many things in our lives much easier. Some of you may remember when you were the “remote control” when your Dad was watching TV. Now, new homes have heating, alarm and lighting systems throughout that can be controlled remotely with a smart phone. Cattle producers use electronic IDs to automate many data collection activities. Computer applications seem to only be limited by our imagination.

Our beef extension educational efforts have often pointed out timely management topics. For example, now is the time to sample harvested forages and get an analysis of the quality. Some of those items would relate to time of year, while others would depend on the individual operation’s calving and breeding dates. So, while those suggestions are timely for most (we hope), they certainly do not fit everyone.

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Focus Areas

• Feed & Water
• Health
• Reproduction & Genetics
• Cost of Production & Marketing
• Employee Management
• Legal/Regulatory

The K-State beef extension team strives to address all phases of beef production from "farm to fork".