Farmers and Ranchers Cow/Calf College at USMARC January 19

The annual Farmers and Ranchers Cow/Calf College “Partners in Progress – Beef Seminar” will be held at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center and Great Plains Veterinary Education Center near Clay Center on January 19, 2010 with registration, coffee and donuts starting at 9:15 a.m. and going till 9:55 a.m. The program will run from 10:00 a.m. until approximately 3:30 p.m. This program is sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension’s Farmers and Ranchers College and will feature two nationally-known speakers discussing issues and management strategies that can affect the profitability of all beef producers. There is no cost for the event and the public is invited. It does include a noon meal which means that early registration is necessary. The “Cow/Calf College” will kick off at 10:00 a.m. with a welcome by Dr. John Pollak, Director of USMARC and Dr. Gary Rupp, Director of GPVEC. They will be followed by the key-note speaker, Kit Pharo, from Pharo Cattle Company of Wells, Colorado. His presentation will be segmented throughout the day and is entitled appropriately “Thinking Outside of the Box”. Kit Pharo will challenge beef producers to think outside the box (paradigm) they have put themselves in. He will give some time-tested, no-nonsense information that they can readily and easily put to use. Discussion during the day will include the difference between being production-driven and being profit-driven, emphasizing that the only way for agriculture to be sustainable is for it to be profitable and enjoyable. Kit will also discuss the “Three Keys” to making the most efficient use of your available forage resources including: Planned Rotational Grazing; Matching Your Production Cycle (calving, weaning, etc.) to fit your Available Forage Resources; and Matching Cow Size and Type to fit your Available Forage Resources. Lunch will be provided and will be rotated in during the noon session. Dr. Brian Faris, Kansas State Extension Meat Goat and Sheep Specialist will engage with the producers during two rotations addressing the possibilities available to beef producers through “Alternative Species Grazing”. He will focus on the advantages of using small ruminants to maximize available resources in a mixed species grazing system. Directly after the lunch and alternative grazing rotations, the afternoon session will once again feature Kit Pharo, continuing his presentation. These sessions will help ranchers put more profit and enjoyment into their business and make their business more sustainable. Dr. Faris and Pharo will then join on stage to pull everything together, give their final thoughts and considerations and then avail themselves for a coffee-shop style panel discussion during which cattlemen can ask questions and get answers on topic questions that came to them during the day’s sessions. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Gary Rupp, Director of the Great Plains Veterinary Education Center. Any beef producer or other interested individual should pre-register by January 14th, 2010, at the UNL Extension Office at 621 North Cedar, Red Cloud, NE 68930 or call (402) 746-3417 to insure a seat and lunch, however walk-ins are accepted. You may also email your registration to Dewey Lienemann at: dlienemann2@unl.edu Further information may be found at the Webster County UNL Extension site at: http://www.webster.unl.edu For any attendees or anyone else that is interested, Kit will also hold a Pharo Cattle Company Field Day the following day, Wednesday, Jan 20, 2010 starting at 10 a.m. It will be held at the Ichthys Enterprises headquarters: Located from the intersection of Hwy 78 and County Road N (mile marker 12), 3 miles west, 1 mile south and 1/10 mile east or from Hwy 136 and County Road 1900, 5 miles north and 1/10 mile east. Hwy 78 and 136 intersect 1 mile north of Guide Rock, NE, road N is 6 miles north of that intersection and road 1900 is 3 miles west of that intersection. The field day will feature Kit Pharo, evaluating cows and bulls in an attempt to describe the "perfect" beef animal. Plans are being made to have a “frame score and weight guessing” contest. There will be a question/answer session with Kit. A PCC cow herd is located approximately 10 miles from headquarters and will be available to view after the presentation. To register or for more information, please contact Lanny Greenhalgh at Ichthys Enterprises at phone # 402-257-3788 or email at: ichthys@gtmc.net.