K-State’s Winter Ranch Management Series set for February
“Corrals, calcium, costs and cows: management and profit strategies for 2018” is the theme of the 2018 Kansas State University Winter Ranch Management Seminar Series. Hosted at four sites across the state of Kansas the meetings will feature presentations and comments by extension educators on profit-enhancing strategies.
The meetings will also feature a popular town-hall style question-and-answer session between Kansas’ cattle producers and Extension specialists. The series has a history of being a successful stretch of meetings, which are hosted throughout the state of Kansas, said Bob Weaber, K-State Research and Extension cow-calf specialist. Weaber, along with other state, district and local Extension staff, will take part in the series to help answer producers’ questions. The specialists will answer a wide range of questions on beef cattle issues including animal health, nutrition, management, genetics and reproduction.
“Over the past few months we’ve received quite a few questions from producers looking for profit tips and tools,” Weaber said. “The Winter Ranch Management series provides another great opportunity for state and local specialists to take our expertise out in the country for a series of impactful face-to-face meetings. During the last few years producers have experienced price volatility and increased costs. We believe that producer profit margins will continue to narrow over the next couple of years. Our extension team is here to help with reliable information.”
Topics to be discussed are facility improvements and bud box cattle processing systems; mineral supplementation strategies; cost; production and profit benchmarking; and optimizing the cow herd through female selection. The Hepler location will feature a talk by KC Olson on late season burning as a method to aid in the control of sericea lespedeza.
“Early in the year is a great time for producers, to think and plan for the coming year,” Weaber adds. “Certainly, it is a good time of year to think about opportunities to reduce costs and enhance revenue streams.”
Meeting times and registration fees vary by location but all will include a meal. Participants are asked to RSVP for a selected location by the close of business one week prior to the event. Interested participants should contact their local host contact for registration and RSVP details.
2018 Winter Ranch Management locations and contacts
Beloit—Feb. 6, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., NCK Technical College, 3033 US Hwy 24. RSVP by Jan. 30 to Barrett Simon, Post Rock Extension District, 785-378-3174 or [email protected]; Katelyn Brockus, River Valley District, 785-325-2121 or [email protected]; or Clint Laflin, Midway Extension District, 785-483-3157 or [email protected].
Olsburg—Feb. 7, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., McCormick Elementary, 109 N First St. RSVP by Jan. 31 at www.pottawatomie.ksu.edu or call Pottawatomie Co. Extension Office at 785-457-3319.
Dighton—Feb. 8, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Lane County Fair Grounds. RSVP by Feb. 1 to Jared Petersilie, Walnut Creek Extension District, 620-397-2806 or [email protected].
Hepler—Feb. 13, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Community Building. RSVP by Feb. 6 to Chris Petty, Southwind Extension District, 620-223-3720 or [email protected]; or Keith Martin, Wildcat Extension District, 620-784-5337 or [email protected].
More information about the K-State Winter Ranch Management Seminar Series is available at KSUBeef.org.
