Farmers and Ranchers Cow/Calf College at USMARC Jan. 17

Farmers and Ranchers Cow/Calf College at USMARC Jan. 17

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Farmers and Ranchers Cow/Calf College “Partners in Progress — Beef Seminar” will be Jan. 17 at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center and Great Plains Veterinary Education Center near Clay Center.
The annual cow/calf college will begin with registration, coffee and donuts from 9-9:45 a.m. The program will start at 9:50 a.m. and end at approximately 3:45 p.m.
Sponsored by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension’s Farmers and Ranchers College, the program will feature speakers discussing issues and management strategies that can affect the profitability of all beef producers.
Registration for the free event is required to reserve a noon meal.
John Pollak, director, USMARC, will start the program and give a short overview on research at the Meat Animal Research Center. He will be followed by Ross Baker, Nebraska Department of Agriculture, who will present “ADTS — New Regulations for Cattle Crossing State Lines,” and Kelsi Wehrman, Farm Bill wildlife biologist with the USDA-NRCS, who will present “Prescribed Burning to Control Cedars & Increase Forage Quality.”
At noon, there will be a rotation of lunch and sessions. Noon sessions will feature the return of area cattlemen Ken and Zach Herz, who will provide sessions on a “Follow-up on Packed Manure Bed Beef Barn — One Year Later.” They will present results of their first year in the large 200 foot by 100 foot barn that was built for confined beef management. It is one of the first in Nebraska and is located near Lawrence. Also in the rotation will be a chance to see and hear about the “UNL Beef Mobile Lab” which takes hands-on animal science on the road. UNL Extension educators Brent Plugge and Bob Meduna will explain what they are doing, and participants can see and experience the mobile lab.
The afternoon sessions will discuss the future of animal agriculture.
The first session will feature Jordan Dux, national affairs coordinator with the Nebraska Farm Bureau, who will give an “Update on Federal and State Ag Issues” that are likely to affect cattlemen and the agriculture industry.
This year’s capstone address will be delivered by Ronnie Green, NU vice-president and IANR Harlan vice chancellor, who will present “Feeding the Global Future with Red Meat Innovation.” There is no doubt that agriculture faces a challenge with the impending explosion of population world-wide and the need for protein for those people. Green will discuss where red meat production can help face those challenges.
To end the college, all presenters will be on stage to pull everything together, give their final thoughts and considerations and then participate in a coffee-shop style panel discussion during which cattlemen can ask questions and get answers on topic questions that came to them during the day’s sessions. A chance for door prizes will be awarded to those that stay for the entire event.
Any beef producer or other interested individual should pre-register by Jan. 12 at the UNL Extension Office at 621 North Cedar, Red Cloud, Neb., 68930 or call 402-746-3417 to ensure a seat and lunch. Walk-ins are accepted but may not get a lunch. Registrations also can be emailed to Dewey Lienemann at dlienemann2@unl.edu. Additional information can be found at the Webster County UNL Extension website at http://www.webster.unl.edu.