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UNL farmers and ranchers Cow-Calf College near Clay Center Jan. 20Nebraska Beef producers will hear the latest management strategies and discuss current issues at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension's Farmers and Ranchers College "Partners in Progress--Beef Seminar" Jan. 20. The seminar will be at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center and Great Plains Veterinary Education Center near Clay Center. Registration is from 9:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., with coffee and donuts. The program is from 9:50 a.m. until about 3:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend. The seminar features university, government and other experts. Jack Nienaber, director of the USMARC, will give the welcome. Ginger Langemeier, assistant director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, will cover the topic of animal welfare, including public perception and telling your story, in her presentation: "Animal Welfare: What Does This Era of Change Mean for Animal Agriculture?" Darrell Mark, UNL livestock marketing specialist, will then give a presentation on "Calf Finishing vs. Yearling Finishing Systems." The increase of corn prices to $7 a bushel and subsequent fall back to $3.50 a bushel significantly changes the profitability of backgrounding and finishing cattle and retained ownership strategies for ranchers. The presentation will focus on the relative differences in profits to calf finishing and yearling finishing systems as input prices change. Additionally, it will focus on risk management and hedging strategies for these systems. Lunch will be provided and will be rotated in during the noon herd management sessions. Jeff Ondrak, GPVEC beef cattle clinical veterinarian, will offer two seminar rotations addressing problems with tuberculosis, brucellosis, and trichomoniasis, and the steps Nebraska producers can take to protect their herds from these diseases. There will be particular emphasis on trichomoniasis, a reproductive disease that has already caused economic damage to beef breeding herds across Nebraska. "Emerging Disease Concerns for Nebraska Cattlemen" will take a look at these and other animal health issues that the beef industry is facing and likely to face in the future. After lunch and the herd management rotations, the afternoon session will begin with a presentation by Rick Rasby, UNL beef specialist, on "Handling High Input Costs with Your Cow-Calf Herd." This will cover feeding first calves after calving, the importance of managing calving distribution and reducing forage feeding losses. Matt Spangler, UNL beef specialist, will follow with a presentation on "Fitting Beef Genetics to Your Environment." With higher input costs and lower prices for beef, it is becoming more and more critical to look at all of the tools available. The highlight of each Cow-Calf College is the 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. Langemeier, Mark, Rasby, Spangler and Ondrak will be on the stage and will react and interact with producers as the conference comes to an end. The panel will be moderated by Gary Rupp, director of the Great Plains Veterinary Education Center. Registration is needed for the noon meal by Jan. 16. Beef producers and others interested in this seminar can register by contacting the UNL Extension Office at 621 N. Cedar, Red Cloud, NE 68930, 402-746-3417 or e-mailing Dewey Lienemann at dlienemann2@unl.edu. UNL Extension is in the university's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 1/19/09 Date: 1/14/09
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