Grazing workshop scheduled
Brian Rees
Friday, April 24, 2009
Now that most of the cattle in the Flint Hills area of Kansas are out to grass, producers can turn their attention to items that might make life a little easier come fall or winter when the cattle come off grass. Sound appealing?
If this appeals to you, plan on being in Olpe at 5 p.m. on May 13. The event is being hosted by K-State Research and Extension with help from the Kansas Rural Center , Eagle Creek WRAPS, Neosho Headwaters WRAPS, Fall River Watershed WRAPS, and the Toronto Watershed WRAPS. The evening will start by gathering at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 212 Iowa Street in Olpe. After some brief introductions and sharing a “game plan” for the evening, attendees will be heading out to a nearby field site — weather permitting — to observe various forages in use, as well as improved watering sites that are working to improve livestock performance and also improve water quality.
Once the outside portion of the workshop is complete, the group will return to the Knights of Columbus Hall for an evening meal prior to the evening informational session. Gary Kilgore, KSU Professor Emeritus and retired Southeast Area Agronomy Specialist, and Dale Kirkham, Kansas Rural Center will speak on a number of topics including: cool season grass management; ways to match forage needs and cattle needs; legume utilization; how to manage your forages moving from summer to fall to winter; winter feeding and watering sites; and “River Friendly Farms.” As the meeting will be in Olpe, there will also be a presentation by representatives of the Eagle Creek WRAPS project on the current livestock Best Management Practice auction and other activities within the watershed to improve water quality.
As there will be a catered meal, reservations for the evening are requested by May 7th. Please contact K-State Research and Extension, Lyon County at 341-3220 to reserve your spot for the evening.
Don’t miss this chance to hear from some forage utilization experts on ways to improve (or at least not reduce) animal performance while maintaining or reducing input costs, maintaining or improving pasture quality and health, all the while working to improve the quality of the water that leaves your operation. Make your reservations now — we look forward to seeing you in Olpe on May 13th!
It is also now the last weekend of April and there is very little corn in the ground, although if it isn’t raining this weekend I am certain many planters are running. It is still plenty early for corn, even though we may be past the point of maximum potential yields.
Regardless of what your instinct is, you will probably be better off sticking with your regular maturity hybrid at this time instead of switching to a shorter maturity. Research has shown that fuller season hybrids generally have greater yield potential than shorter season hybrids, and especially if grain is your goal you need to be able to take advantage of more days. If silage is your goal, a later planting date might actually be to your benefit, as the plant will be able to take advantage of the longer day length resulting in a taller plant.
And if you are thinking about changing crops, you might also want to check with the FSA office and your crop insurance people to determine what the “prevented planting” deadline is on corn. My understanding is that it isn’t until the end of May — still a long time from now. A lot of corn can be planted between now and then!