July 25, 2005

Cattle Backgrounding Program Set for Aug. 23 in Dickinson

A multistate cattle program, “Making the Most of Your Backgrounding Opportunities in an Up Market,” is set for next month in Dickinson.

The program will be held Aug. 23 at the Days Inn Grand Dakota Lodge and Conference Center. Registration is at 9 a.m. and the program starts at 10.

The Four-State Ruminant Consortium is sponsoring the program. The consortium is a collaboration of North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, Montana State University and the University of Wyoming.

John Paterson of Montana State University will speak at 10:15 a.m. on where the national animal identification program is headed. A panel discussion on animal identification will follow at 11. The panelists are Kris Ringwall, director of NDSU’s Dickinson Research Extension Center; Jim Clement, animal identification coordinator for the North Dakota Department of Agriculture; Wade Moser, executive vice president of the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association; and Paterson.

Participants will be able to attend several breakout sessions in the afternoon. Topics for the sessions are:

• Using distillers byproducts in cattle rations, Greg Lardy, NDSU
• Heifer development, Rick Funston, University of Nebraska
• Natural and grass-fed beef programs, Steve Paisley, University of Wyoming
• An update on Mycoplasma bovis, Gerald Stokka, Pfizer Animal Health
• Marketing programs and fall price outlook, Tim Petry, NDSU
• Managing calf health during backgrounding, Charlie Stoltenow, NDSU
• Fence line and low-stress weaning alternatives, John Dhuyvetter, NDSU
• Determining when to wean, Trey Patterson, SDSU

Supper is at 6:30 p.m. Other evening activities include a producer panel discussion on using backgrounding as a way to add value.

The preregistration deadline is Aug. 19. The cost of the program is $25 before Aug. 19 or $30 at the door. The fee includes lunch and supper. Send registrations to the Stark-Billings County Extension Service office at 1340 W. Villard, Dickinson, ND, 58601-4646, attention Kurt Froelich. For more information about the program, contact Froelich at (701) 456-7665 or kfroelic@ndsuext.nodak.edu.

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Source: Greg Lardy, (701) 231-7660, glardy@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Ellen Crawford, (701) 231-5391, ecrawfor@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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