The beef sector may be facing some challenging times, but that is no reason to stop making plans for the future, believes David Gullacher, Acting Vice-President of the Western Beef Development Centre (WBDC).
“We want to look beyond the current challenges facing the beef and cow∕calf industry. We are in a globally competitive market and we need to provide the means for the industry research that is carried out now to be adapted and adopted by our producers. This is why our field day this year will feature some of the production techniques we have had a hand in that have the potential to maximize profitability for our producers.”
Themed “Thinking Ahead,” this year’s event will showcase some of the ways by which production costs can be minimized in order to maximize profits, according to Gullacher.
“This is usually achieved by working on the costs themselves, but also on revenues and scale factors. For instance, we are bringing in a couple of speakers who will challenge us on the revenue side through marketing.
The keynote morning topic is “Adding Value to Your Calves – Thinking Outside the Box”, featuring both industry and producer perspectives. The afternoon will be devoted to staggered tours and demonstrations.
“We will offer two different types of tours: there are the actual demonstrations and there will also be a tour of the research farm itself. You see, Lanigan’s Termuende Research Farm was established by the Termuende family and willed to the University of Saskatchewan. The Western Beef Development Centre is operating the farm on behalf of the University. We find many of our participants just want to learn more about the farm itself. The Farm Supervisor will be on hand to take them around.”
The farm consists of 12 quarter sections of land, most of which is seeded tame pasture land. The home quarter itself features a unique round barn and original buildings.
“The WBDC has made several improvements to the Termuende Research Farm in the past as a result of its involvement,” says Gullacher. “These include pen facilities for up to 1,200 head feedlot system and a new calving barn, as well as a complete line-up of farm equipment. We also have the use of a herd of 300 head of cattle on site that is the property of the Horned Cattle Purchases Fund, which we use for research purposes.
On the technical side, the field tour will include forage grazing trials, evaluation of winter feeding systems, as well as the topic of precipitation harvesting, Gullacher explains.
The pasture trials will include a look at the grazing performance of new pasture varieties. Evaluation of new and existing grass varieties under grazed conditions is important information for producers.
On the topic of winter feeding systems for beef cows the WBDC has looked at the total costs of wintering animals in different ways and will share its findings on site, says Gullacher.
“Producers typically winter their animals inside drylot pen facilities, bringing in the feed and hauling out the manure in the spring. Or they can winter them out on agricultural land and feed them on specific wintering site , which leaves the manure out there the following spring. The project is evaluating the management of nutrient capture and loss, system costs and feeding system impact on cow performance.
“Precipitation harvesting is about exploring ways to capture more of the summer precipitation, as most dugouts are usually set up to capture spring run-off. We will display a system developed by ourselves and the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA). The researchers used laser-guided graders. To create a gradually sloped catch-area. We lined the catch-area, including the dugout, with a special plastic sheeting, held down with rocks laid three to four feet apart. We fenced it to keep cattle out.”
Conclusion: off this 0.5-acre catchment area, 40 head of cattle can be watered. The WBDC is currently putting together the information packages to allow adopting of this technology by producers.
The 7th Annual WBDC Field Day takes place on June 22 and starts at 9:30 am.
For more information, contact Carol Jackson at (306) 682-3139 or visit: www.wbdc.sk.ca
Carol Jackson
Western Beef Development Centre
(306) 682-3139
www.wbdc.sk.ca
Comments