Visitors will be able to learn about various management options.
How to get the maximum use out of annual and perennial forage growth will be the focus of presentations at the annual beef cattle and forage field day Aug. 27 at the North Dakota State University Dickinson Research Extension Center’s ranch southwest of Manning.
The event begins with registration at 12:30 p.m., followed by a welcome from center director Kris Ringwall at 1 p.m.
Agricultural producers will have an opportunity to see firsthand the various management options that can provide livestock producers with more pounds per acre while enhancing soil health, according to program coordinator Douglas Landblom, center animal scientist. Producers will hear from researchers and active agricultural producers at the half-day program, which is free of charge.
One of the key components will be how producers can use an assortment of forages on their farms and ranches to supplement traditional grazing practices. Landblom is a proponent of using livestock to harvest forage, which can decrease mechanical harvesting costs and provide economic opportunity through increased livestock gains. He will present research on using stockpiled grass and crop residue to decrease winter feeding costs.
Other topics that will be covered and the presenters are:
- Data on research conducted at the center on increasing gains on forage, which can delay the placement of cattle in feedlots and reduce costs - Songul Senturklu, visiting Turkish research scholar
- Updates on cover crops and nitrogen fertility - Fara Brummer, NDSU area Extension livestock systems specialist at the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center near Streeter, and Larry Cihacek, NDSU soil scientist in Fargo
- Reflections and data on various forage management options - producers Derrick Dukart of Manning and Lucas Hoff of Richardton, who have been involved with the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Farmer Cooperator projects
Participants also will visit the Dukart farm.