Mineral Nutrition for the Beef Cow Herd Series
Extension beef cattle specialists from South Dakota State University (SDSU), North Dakota State University (NDSU), Montana State University and the University of Wyoming are now accepting registrations for the educational series, Mineral Nutrition for the Beef Cow Herd. Started in South Dakota in 2017 and extended to North Dakota in 2018, the program was spurred by an increased interest in grazing mineral nutrition.
The June sessions will provide basic knowledge about mineral nutrition along with tools to help producers successfully monitor mineral consumption and make adjustments to increase consumption.
The second part during the summer includes the submission of forage and water samples to Ward Laboratories, which has partnered with Extension to provide a discount for participants to get their samples analyzed. Once the Extension personnel receive the results, they will work with the participants to interpret the results and determine what changes could be beneficial to the operation.
The third component is the ranch visits.
The series concludes with educational sessions in the fall, where all of the information that has been shared over the previous five months is brought together in an applied format.
To date, the Mineral Nutrition for the Beef Cow Herd series has drawn participants from 79 operations, plus 22 industry and Extension personnel from South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Colorado and Illinois.
The program is open to beef cattle producers in South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. Surrounding areas are welcome; however, the ranch visit component of the program may be virtual.
To register, South Dakota producers can visit the SDSU Extension Events page. Producers located in other states should reach out to Janna Block, NDSU Extension at 701-567-4323 or Janna.Block@ndsu.edu; Shelby Rosasco, University of Wyoming Extension at 307-766-2329 or srosasco@uwyo.edu; or Megan van Emon, Montana State University Extension Beef Cattle Specialist at 406-874-8286 or megan.vanemon@montana.edu.
This year registration has been reduced to $130 per operation thanks to a donation from Micronutrients, a Nutreco company. This fee includes the first forage and water analysis and travel to the ranch by Extension professionals.
The first webinar sessions will be held on June 8, 10, 15, 17 and 22 from 6:30–8 p.m. MT (7:30–9 p.m. CST). Additional webinars will be held in the fall, with dates to be announced in the future.
For more information, please contact Harty at 605-394-1722 or Adele.Harty@sdstate.edu