Rancher Roundtable scheduled for February 20, 2019 at Cut Bank Voting Center

 Ranchers are invited to attend the Rancher Roundtable on Wednesday, February 20 at the   The event is free to the public, refreshments will be provided, and the program will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Cut Bank Voting Center 

 (913 E. Railroad, Cut Bank, MT).

Dr. Jeff Mosley, Montana State University Extension range specialist, will cover proper spring grazing management to manage plant health and livestock performance, and opportunities for early spring grazing.  Dr. Mosley has degrees in Range Science from Montana State University, University of Idaho, and Texas Tech University and has completed extensive research regarding grazing management of livestock and wildlife and using targeted livestock grazing to suppress invasive plants such as spotted knapweed and sulfur cinquefoil.

Kari Lewis, Montana State University Extension Agent for Glacier county, will share cowherd nutrition for the late gestation and early lactation periods to meet the cow’s needs for breed back and to support a growing calf.  Calf care management to increase calf viability and health will be covered as well.

A rancher roundtable is scheduled for February 20 in Cut Bank
at the Cut Bank Voting Center, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Photo by Kari Lewis.

John Steuber, State Director of USDA Wildlife Services will wrap up the day with a presentation on Predatory Animal Damage Management.  Steuber will explain the process of petitioning for a per capita fee for predatory animal control within Glacier county, if producers desire.  Currently, 29 Montana counties have cattle petitions in place, and 49 Montana counties (including Glacier County) have sheep petitions in effect.   A cattle petition would be a $1/head fee used to provide predator damage management through the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Wildlife Services to Glacier County producers via hunting and trapping of livestock depredating coyotes, bears, mountain lions, wolves, etc.  With declining federal funding, cattle petitions allow Wildlife Services to support employees (hunter/trapper), equipment, helicopter flying time, etc. and provide a significant presence within the county.  If Glacier county producers desired the program, producer signatures representing 51% of the cattle on the county tax rolls (approximately 13,500 head) would be needed for the petition will go into effect.  Producers are strongly encouraged to attend to learn more about the predatory animal control program. 

Please contact Kari Lewis, Glacier county agent, with any questions regarding the program at (406) 873-2239 or kari.lewis@montana.edu. 

Take time for the $100/hour jobs, make plans to attend the Summer Beef Cow Profitability Seminar and Ranch Tour June 6 in Cut Bank

Kari Lewis, MSU Extension – Glacier County

This weekend as we sorted cows for A.I.ing, again, I began thinking about how much time do we

devote to doing the same activities, over and over?  When Dave Pratt from ‘Ranching for Profit’ spoke at the Next Generation Conference this winter, he talked about that in farming and ranching, we often spend most of our time doing the $10/hour jobs, that is those jobs that either we enjoy or are good at, such as checking cows or perhaps fixing fence.  While these activities must be done, we shouldn’t overlook the $100/hour or $1,000/hour jobs, that is taking time to learn about and make management decisions that can have large impacts on our operation’s profitability. 

Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.  This ties directly into Pratt’s concept, that to get different results, we must take time to focus on the $100/hour jobs.  Would you like to add pounds to this fall’s calf crop or increase your herd’s profit?  If you’re ready to entertain new ideas to do so, I encourage you to attend our Summer Beef Cow Profitability Seminar and Ranch Tour on Tuesday, June 6. 

The seminar will be at the Glacier County Extension Office (1210 E. Main) here in Cut Bank, beginning at 8:30 a.m. with coffee and rolls available at 8.  We should be done before noon, and the event is free with no pre-registration is required.

Dr. Karla Jenkins, University of Nebraska – Lincoln Cow-Calf and Range Management specialist, will cover tools to improve ranch profitability.  Jenkins specializes in cow-calf, range management, and feedlot research out of Scottsbluff, NE and brings a great perspective of the entire beef production system.  Jenkins’s talk will focus on implanting calves, vaccinations and pre-conditioning for the nursing calf, and cull cow marketing options. 

Implants can add 15 to 30 pounds at weaning.  Jenkins will cover how implants impact calf gain, calf sale price, ranch profit, feedlot performance, and carcass quality.  There’s some new data available regarding implants that I think you’ll enjoy seeing.

Jenkins will also delve into how Montana ranchers can set their calves up for success in the feedlot to increase both the rancher’s sale price and to create repeat buyers.  Lastly, she will cover strategies to increase cull cow revenue.  Cull cows typically make up 15 to 30% of a herd’s revenue, and their impact on herd profitability should not be overlooked.

The seminar will conclude with a visit to the Meiwald ranch, west of Cut Bank.  Guy Meiwald has been using Management Intensive Grazing on his operation for a few years now, and will be sharing how the practice has impacted livestock production, fertilizer costs, and ranch profitability.  Meiwald was featured at the 2016 Next Generation conference, this will be a great chance to see the system in action during the growing season!

Please contact the Glacier County Extension office for more information at 873-2239, and I hope you’ll take a few hours on Tuesday, June 6 to join us for the Beef Cow Profitability Seminar and Ranch tour.