Nebraska Extension is partnering with Lallemand Animal Nutrition and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach to offer a one-day conference focused on one of the largest components of many beef producers’ bottom lines: silage.
The silage for beef cattle conference will be held June 14 at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center near Mead.
“Corn silage can be economical when included in growing and finishing rations for beef cattle,” said Galen Erickson, professor and beef feedlot extension specialist at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. “There are many important variables including variety of corn, ensiling, pricing and feedout management. When feed is one of the largest costs, it’s important we consider all these angles.”
Producers will hear from experts on silage production and management during the conference, which is free to attend for those who register in advance.
“Our team is excited to once again be working with the University of Nebraska and Iowa State University to bring this conference to the beef industry,” said Bob Charley, forage products manager, Lallemand Animal Nutrition. “We heard a lot of positive feedback after the 2016 conference and have developed an excellent lineup of speakers. After the conference, everyone attending should be able to improve silage quality, limit losses and better formulate rations. There’s no operation that couldn’t benefit from those improvements.”
Participants will hear 10 presentations from leading experts in silage production and management, including:
• Key steps to improve the nutritive value of corn silage, Luiz Ferraretto, University of Florida
• Beef up your silage management for minimal shrink, Renato Schmidt, Lallemand Animal Nutrition
• Garbage in, garbage out: impacts of silage mismanagement, Andy Skidmore, Lallemand Animal Nutrition
• The value of silage in backgrounding rations, Jason Warner, Great Plains Livestock Consulting, Inc.
• Considerations for using silage, earlage and HMC in finishing cattle, Allen Stateler, Nutrition Services Associates
• Panel discussion on silage featuring Dr. Warner, Dr. Stateler, Mark Blackford, Craig Cattle Co. and John Schroeder, Darr Feedyard
• Silage growing programs and the importance of protein, Andrea Watson, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
• Characteristics of silage use in Iowa feedlots, Russ Euken, beef specialist and Dan Loy, Iowa State University
• Inclusion, hybrid and kernel processing for finishing cattle feeding systems, Galen Erickson
• Accurately pricing corn silage, Terry Klopfenstein, and Henry Hislcher, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
The event is free for producers, nutrition consultants and extension personnel that register by June 11 and costs just $30 to register at the door. The conference begins at 8:30 a.m. and will adjourn by 4 p.m. Attendees can pre-register at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln website, https://go.unl.edu/silageforbeef2018.
For those unable to attend the event, a free live-stream option can be found at the Iowa Beef Center website. More details will be available soon at http://www.iowabeefcenter.org.