Published: December 29, 2007 09:22 am      

Beef cattle conference scheduled

The annual Northwest Oklahoma Beef Cattle Conference has been set for Jan. 8, 2008 at the Major County Fairgrounds in Fairview and Jan. 9, 2008 at the Woods County Fairgrounds in Alva.

The conference offers area cattle producers the opportunity to learn what to expect in the upcoming year as they listen to presentations given by professionals from the OSU Extension service, which sponsors the conference.

Jim Rhodes, extension agricultural agent in Major County, said that one of the major topics for the 2008 conference concerns the use of alternative feeds. He said with the price of traditional feeds such as wheat and corn going up, “there is a tremendous amount of interest in alternative feeds.”

Alternative feeds include byproducts such as distilled grains and corn gluten, Rhodes said.

He said OSU Extension experts Gene Parker and Chris Richards will be discussing the nutritional qualities of the various feed alternatives as well as how to use them properly as feed supplements.

“Producers need to understand that there is a difference in feeding those (alternative feeds) than in just going to the feed store and picking up a sack of cattle cubes,” Rhodes said.

In addition to alternative feed options, Rhodes said other topics that will be discussed include cattle pricing and cattle health issues.

He said economist Darrell Peel will give a presentation detailing pricing trends for various cattle weights. Then based on those trends, he said Peel will provide projections for what those weights are likely to bring in 2008.

Veterinarian Gene Parker will discuss current health issues facing the cattle industry, Rhodes said. Parker will also discuss how producers can effectively address these problems, which include foot rot and a blood-related disease known as anaplasmosis.

Overall, Rhodes said the conference provides cattle producers with “some education about current issues and what’s changing for that particular year.”

“There are some important management issues they can learn from this conference,” he said.

“It will be a really good program,” he said. “And it will be well worth their time.”

The session scheduled for Jan. 8 in Fairview will begin at 10 a.m. and will last until 2 p.m., with lunch to be provided. Rhodes said both the conference and the lunch are free, but those wishing to attend are encouraged to call his office at (580) 227-3786 so that he can get a head count.

The session to be held on Jan. 9 in Alva will begin at 11 a.m. and last until 3 p.m. Rhodes said the program is the same for both sessions, but the OSU Extension Service has different host sites to help cut down on how far some producers have to travel. For more information about the Alva session you can contact the Woods County OSU Extension Center at (580) 327-2786.