Farms.com Home  › News

SDSU Extension to Host Webinar on Backgrounding Calves

SDSU Extension is hosting a webinar series on backgrounding feed strategies for cattle producers. 

Backgrounding Fundamentals is from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. CST/11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. MT on Jan. 10, 17 and 24, 2024. Backgrounding is the term for strategically feeding calves from weaning until they are ready to be finished. Finishing brings beef cattle to their optimal slaughter weight. 

The three-part webinar series will provide the most up-to-date research throughout. Week one will feature a market outlook and risk management information, including an overview of Livestock Risk Protection insurance options. Week two will provide a target market roadmap, helping producers identify the right growth targets and nutrition programs for their cattle. The third week will discuss feed cost control strategies and cattle water intake.

Sydney Vanderhoff, SDSU Extension Beef Nutrition Field Specialist, said managing risks and feed costs is more important than ever as producers navigate volatile market conditions. 

During graduate school, Vanderhoff researched calf performance using implants and distillers grain supplementation in backgrounding and grazing calves and discovered a passion for educating others on the practice. 

“More people are starting to explore backgrounding and ways to improve their backgrounding operation,” Vanderhoff said. “For others, you can always learn something you didn’t know or refresh your memory.” 

Registration is $30 per person, which includes a recording of the webinar after each session. To register, visit the SDSU Extension Events page and search “backgrounding”. 

For more information, contact SDSU Extension Beef Nutrition Field Specialist Sydney Vanderhoff, SDSU Extension Beef Nutrition Field Specialist Madison Kovarna, or Assistant Professor and SDSU Extension Feedlot Specialist Warren Rusche.  

Source : sdstate.edu

Trending Video

ASF Control Lessons - Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith

Video: ASF Control Lessons - Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith


In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith, Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria, shares what decades of work have revealed about ASF control. She explains why vaccine development remains difficult, how human activity and food waste drive disease spread, why resistant pig populations are an important research area, and how strict biosecurity with the right disinfectants can help to stop transmission. Listen now on all major platforms!

"It's really a very human-driven disease because people move pigs, decide how they're raised, how they're sold, and good biosecurity can do anything to ensure control."

Meet the guest: Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith / mary-louise-penrith-2b12bb42 is an Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. A veterinarian and internationally recognized researcher, she has dedicated decades to African swine fever epidemiology, control, and pig health, supporting FAO and WOAH initiatives while advancing research and education. Listen to Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith on the Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.