Feed and feeding management workshop

Wednesday, January 22 at the Pound Town Hall, east edge of the Village of Coleman

2019 was one of the roughest feed production years ever faced by livestock producers in far Northeastern Wisconsin.  Most farms are now dealing with at least one of a set of feed management issues.  These issues include: Insufficient feed quantity; Lower than normal feed quality; Mycotoxin presence in stored feed; Increased feed loss risk due to harvest conditions; and other possible issues.  The Extension offices of Marinette and Oconto Counties are sponsoring a workshop designed to help livestock producers face these feed-based challenges and remain profitable.  The event is being held at the Pound Town Hall (W8484 Cty. Hwy. B, east edge of the Village of Coleman) on Wednesday, January 22nd, starting at 10 a.m. and concluding about 2:30 p.m.

The program will start out with a review of how to conduct a truly accurate feed inventory, as understanding how much and what types of on-farm feed resources you have is critical to developing a feed management plan that maintains production.  Jamie Van de Walle, independent nutritionist with Dairy Advantage LLC., will be leading this portion of the program.  She will also later be presenting on proper, economically viable alternative feeds that can be purchased to best supplement on-farm feeds.  Many farms are going to need to utilize either more volume or more variety of purchased feeds than normal to keep their desired ration characteristics.

Kimberly Schmidt, UW-Madison Division of Extension Agriculture Educator in Shawano County, will be discussing mycotoxin testing, abatement, and management.  Although the worst mycotoxins can lead to acute animal health issues, even including fatality, most cause less visible, potentially long-term, issues.  Understanding how to accurately test for them and the potential management methods may be critical to maintaining both short and long term profitability.

The final topics on the day’s docket will be a review of dry hay storage methods and planning next year’s crops to best allow your farm to meet early feed needs.  Although always important, higher hay prices definitely require paying attention to on-farm storage methods that maximize both nutritional quality and dry matter maintenance.  These last discussions will be  facilitated by Scott Reuss, Extension Crops/Soils Agent for Marinette & Oconto Counties.

This program is open for all producers and consultants to attend.  There is no fee for taking part in this event, neither is pre-registration required.  However, since lunch is being provided, pre-registration is greatly appreciated by calling the Marinette Extension office at 715-732-7510 or e-mail to sreuss@marinettecounty.com

 





 

An EEO/AA employer, UW-Madison, Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.  Please call the Marinette County Extension office, 715-732-7510 or 1-877-884-4408, to request any type of accommodation or assistance that you may require to attend this event.  All requests will be kept confidential.

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