Custer County Beef School February 7th

How much are you feeding your cows this winter? Too much? Not enough? The second Custer County Beef School will be held at the Y-Inn Cafe in Challis on Monday, February 7th.  Social hour begins at 6:30 with the program to begin at 7:00 PM.  Come learn how to efficiently utilize your feed resources to meet the nutritional requirements of your cow herd and reduce your winter feed costs.

One of the challenges facing beef producers is developing a cost-effective winter feeding program while still maintaining acceptable levels of cattle production. Feed can account for as much as 70% of total production costs on a cattle ranch. Overfeeding, underfeeding, and feeding unbalanced rations are inefficient management practices that reduce profitability in cow-calf operations. However, a cow’s nutritional needs are constantly fluctuating. Factors such as cow condition, environment, and stage of production are continually changing, with some factors changing on a daily basis. By knowing and anticipating the changing nutritional needs of a cow, producers can plan their feeding programs appropriately, thus lowering feed costs.

Kicking off the evening program, producers will take an in-depth look at basic nutrients and how they impact beef cattle nutrition. Next, an overview of feed and forage testing will be presented. The cost of a feed analysis can be the best investment a cattle producer can make. By knowing the nutritive value of feedstuffs, producers can adjust the amount of feed and supplements being fed to match animals’ needs, thus improving animal performance and increasing profits.

Lastly, attendees will receive hands-on practice as they learn how to formulate their own rations using their personal cowherd and feedstuff information. Utilizing the Excel-based “CowCulator” program, attendees can enter the information for their animals (cow weight, stage of production, breed, etc) as well as their feed and forage nutrition information (grass hay, alfalfa hay, supplements, etc) to create a customizable feed plan for their operation.

Social hour begins at 6:30 pm, with the program starting at 7:00 pm in the Back Room at the Y-Inn Café in Challis. Registration is free. For more information, please contact Sarah D. Baker at the Custer County Extension Office or visit the Central Idaho Extension blog at: http://centralidahoextension.blogspot.com/


For more information, contact the Custer County Extension Office at 208-833-3179.