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Cow Capital Beef Day set for Jan. 7 in Miles City

The Extension Services of Carter, Custer, Fallon, Garfield, Prairie and Rosebud Counties are hosting the 11th annual Cow Capital Beef Day. This year’s event will be held Friday, Jan. 7, 2011 at the Eagles in Miles City, MT, beginning at 1 p.m. and concluding at 4 p.m. The program is followed by a no-host social and dinner sponsored by First Interstate Bank, Farm Credit Services, US Bank, and Stockman Bank.

Topics to be covered include:

• “Winning the Weed Wars” with Coty Back, Dow Agro-Sciences. Tips will be presented on pesticide application to prevent and minimize treating non-target plants, as well as a review of herbicide application rates and timing on pasture lands.



• “Soil Health – Cover Crops” with Jeff Okerman, Custer County Rancher and Mark Henning, NRCS Agronomist. Okerman will discuss what he has done to improve soil health by using no-till, cover crop mixes and grazing. Mark Henning will discuss management issues; including vegetation management, limitations of cover crops, use in crop rotations, use in pest management, and economics of cover crops.

• “Preparing for the Calving Season” with Rachel Endecott, MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist. This workshop will focus on pre-calving nutrition and management, including colostrum, managing young or thin cows, vaccination, and a “checklist” of things to do before calving.



• “Land Rehabilitation Following Russian Olive Removal” with Mark Petersen, Fort Keogh LARRL Research Leader. The seminar will discuss the study project at Fort Keogh pertaining to Russian Olive invasion and removal/control methods, with discussion on land rehabilitation following removal.

• “Risk Management, The Rainfall Index Program” with Eric Miller, Garfield County Extension Agent. Want to know how to obtain indemnities when rainfall is below average, resulting in widespread reductions in pasture or forage production in a designated area? Topics of discussion include the decision support tool, recent changes in PRF insurance, when the purchase date is, federal subsidy and the continuous policy.

• “Drinking Water Quality for Beef Cattle” with Christina McRae, Custer County Extension. Water is the most abundant nutrient in the body and a critical nutrient for all classes of beef cattle. The presentation will include beef cattle water intake, cattle behavior and performance problem indicators, how a test should be completed, water quality, and water quality on performance.

• “Livestock Trends and Outlook” with Joel Schumacher, Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics. Livestock markets – where are we at, where have we been and where might we be going?

• “Biofuels: Where do we go from here?” with Joel Schumacher, Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics. The ethanol and biodiesel industry has had a significant impact on agriculture in the past 10 years. What do the next few years hold for ethanol, biodiesel, biofuel consumers and other users of corn?

There is a $5 charge to participate in this program. Call Christina McRae at 406-874-3370 for more information.

There will be two private pesticide applicator points available from these presentations.