Area Beef Meeting Set for January 4
By Ed Farris on Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 |
Beef producers can learn techniques in feeding minerals to their animals at an upcoming meeting. The 2012 Area XI beef meeting, hosted by the Indiana Beef Cattle Association (IBCA) and Purdue University Extension, will take place on January 4th. It will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Columbia City, IN at the Eagle’s Nest on 125 S. Glen Trail.
The meeting will feature great food and valuable information on beef issues. IBCA will provide an update on policy and programs. There will also be a presentation titled "How do you know if you are feeding the right mineral?" by Ron Lemenager, Purdue Extension beef specialist.
If you would like to attend the 2011 area beef meeting, please RSVP by calling the Huntington County Extension Office by January 3. Note that the counties in Area XI include Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells and Whitley.
Lemenager will discuss topics such as ways mineral requirements change with stage of production; ways mineral status of the cow affect subsequent calf health and performance; how to interpret a mineral supplement feed tag's guaranteed analysis; how to evaluate the feed tag ingredient list to determine mineral availability; where inorganic versus organic, or chelated mineral forms fit; how to monitor and regulate mineral consumption; when medicated mineral supplements make sense; and which vitamins and how much are needed.
He will present several common feeding scenarios and evaluate which type of mineral supplement best fits each scenario.
"Historically, producers have fed hay to their beef herds. But as they've shifted to using alternative feeds such as cover crops, stockpiled forages, crop residues and grain byproducts, there is a need to re-evaluate our mineral supplementation strategies," Lemenager said. "Beef producers are now feeding things like corn stalks, distillers grains, corn gluten meal, soybean hulls and cover crops such as rye, turnips and radishes. Each of these has a different mineral profile, so it can be challenging to know which supplements are needed."
Also included in the meetings will be a discussion of changing consumer demands and the growth opportunities for Indiana's beef industry.
"IBCA is excited about taking its programs and issues on the road again this year and hearing from its members and beef producers about their thoughts on the state of the beef industry," said Joe Moore, IBCA's executive vice president. "We know that to be relevant for our business at this point in time, it is very important we hear about the issues and opportunities from our own producers."
Cattle producers can find additional information and keep up with the latest beef news on the Purdue Animal Sciences Beef Blog at http://www.thebeefblog.com/ .
For more information, contact Ed Farris, Agriculture and Natural Resource Educator, Purdue Extension – Huntington County Office, 354 N Jefferson – Suite 202, Huntington by calling 260-358-4826.
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