'Grass and grain field day'
Brian Rees, Lyon County Extension Agent
Originally published 08:48 a.m., April 26, 2008
Updated 08:48 a.m., April 26, 2008
Have you been looking for ways to reduce sickness and improve performance when receiving calves? Would you like to hear or see ways to improve the utilization of one of our great local natural resources – the Flint Hills?
If so, May 15 would be a great day to plan on being near Miller in the northeast corner of Lyon County. Porter Cattle Company will be the site of the “Grass and Gain Field Day” where you will have the opportunity to view, listen and ask questions about ways to potentially get more gain from your grasslands. Pre-registration with the Lyon County Extension Office, (620) 341-3220, is requested by May 12 to ensure a meal count.
Co-hosted by K-State Research and Extension, Lyon County and the Tallgrass Legacy Alliance, the Field Day will begin at the hay barn just southeast of Miller – just follow the signs! Registration and refreshments will begin at 3:30, with the speakers beginning shortly before 4 p.m.
After some brief introductions Rich Porter, owner of Porter Cattle Company, will give an overview and history of the Porter Cattle Company talking about the goals, management, stocking and habitat enhancement taking place throughout the operation. Paul Ingle, watershed hydrologist with the Melvern Lake Water Quality Project, will follow with a discussion about the watershed we will be in and some of the practices undertaken by the Porter operation to preserve and enhance water quality.
Concurrent sessions will follow, rotating through three main areas around the hay barn. One session will focus on the cattle processing facility, including a demonstration of how some of the equipment works while reducing stress on the animals and workload on the cowboys. A second session will cover the receiving pens, grass traps and lagoon designs that help keep the facility environmentally friendly. The third session will take a look at the tame grass traps and have a discussion about how to best manage the tame grasses in the traps – for stand persistence, herd health and animal performance.
After all groups have rotated through the three sessions, the entire group will reconvene at the hay barn for some additional brief question and answer, followed by the evening meal sponsored by the Westar Energy Green Team, Frontier Farm Credit, the Melvern Lake Water Quality Project, and Porter Cattle Co. “Maximizing Grass Gains while Maintaining Prairie Health” will be the topic of the keynote evening address, presented following the evening meal by Dr. K.C. Olson, Kansas State University Cow/Calf Nutritionist.