Consolidation Continues in the Feeding Sector

Dr. Greg Lardy, NDSU Beef Cattle Specialist

Consolidation in the feeding industry continues. Cactus Feeders, Inc., announced plans in March to acquire three feedlots owned by Koch Industries, making them the world's largest cattle feeder. The purchase pushed their one-time capacity to 460,000 head, making it the largest cattle feeding company in the world. Two of their feedlots are located in Kansas and one in Texas.

The following table lists the twenty-five largest cattle feeding operations in the United States, as reported in National Cattlemen Magazine, June/July 1999.

Cattlemen's Workshop

ElRoy Haadem,County Extension Agent,Burleigh County

A three-day beef producers workshop designed to help cattlemen fine tune their operation in the areas of nutrition, herd health, reproduction, range management, marketing, pasture use, records, and production costs has been scheduled for June 15-17 at Bismarck State College. There is a limit of 25 participants and the cost to attend is $50 per person which includes meals and a proceedings notebook.

Presenters at the workshop will include cow calf producers, feedlot operators, livestock consultants, adult farm managers, as well as specialists from the Miles City Range Station, NRCS, Experiment Station, and NDSU Extension Service.

Workshop sponsors include: Bismarck State College, NDSU Extension Service, Northern Great Plains Research Center, Natural Resource Conservation Service, North Dakota Department of Agriculture, Heartland, Select Sires, Ducks Unlimited, and North Dakota Private Grazing Lands Coalition.

June 15, 1999 - Cost of Production, Marketing, and Record Keeping

10:30 - 11:00 Registration
11:00 - 12:00 Financial Record Keeping
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch
1:00 - 2:00 Benchmarks/Cost of Production
2:00 - 3:00 Production Record Keeping (CHAPS)
3:00 - 3:30 Break
3:30 - 5:00 Marketing Alternatives

· Coops
· Alliances
· Retained Ownership
· Feedlots

6:00 - 7:00 Dinner
7:00 Low Cost Production Panel

June 16, 1999 - Range and Pasture Management

8:00 - 9:00 Plant Physiology and Growth
9:00 - 10:00 Grazing Management
10:00 - 10:30 Break
10:30 - 11:30 Effects of Grazing on Plant Growth
11:30 - 12:30 Matching Cow Needs with Forage Resource
12:30 - 1:30 Lunch/Travel to JW Cattle Co.
1:30 - 2:30 Plant Identification
2:30 - 3:30 Range Survey
3:30 - 4:00 Break
4:00 - 5:00 Range Survey (continued)
5:00 - 6:00 Range Tour
6:30 - 7:30 Dinner
7:30 Panel

June 17, 1999 - Reproduction, Herd Health, and Nutrition

8:00 - 9:00 Basic Nutrition of the Cow
9:00 - 10:00 ND Feed Alternatives
10:00 - 10:30 Break
10:30 - 12:00 Reproduction
12:00 - 1:30 Lunch/Travel to Northern Great Plains Research Center
1:30 - 2:30 Herd Health
2:30 - 3:30 Beef Quality Assurance
3:30 - 4:30 Genetics and Crossbreeding
4:30 Adjourn

Lodging will be available at Bismarck State College for workshop participants. The cost is $20 for a single or $15 (per person) for a double room. Call Mary Prochnow (701-224-5464) for details.

Registration forms and information on the workshop can be obtained from Mark Holkup, BSC Adult Farm Management instructor (701-328-9861), Greg Lardy, NDSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist (701-231-7660), Kevin Sedivec, NDSU Extension Rangeland Management Specialist (701-231-7647), or ElRoy Haadem, NDSU Extension Burleigh County Agent (701-221-6865).

Adult RangeManagement Camp

Kevin Sedivec, Rangeland Management Specialist

The second annual Adult Range Management Camp will be held June 22-24, 1999, at the Knife River Ranch near Zap, North Dakota. This camp is designed for ranchers who are interested in learning about North Dakota's range resource, grazing management strategies, and developing strategies for a 12-month forage system which will provide the forage needs for their livestock through spring, summer, fall, and winter. The goal of the camp is for participants to leave with a working grassland management strategy for their ranch.

The instructors will lead discussions and field tours, explain basic principles and concepts of range management, show techniques to use on the land, and help participants apply these ideas to meet the goals of their ranches.

Roughly 50% of this educational activity will be in the field and about 20% will be educational sessions in the lodge. The remaining 30% of the time will be spent developing forage and grazing strategies for each individual operation.

Speakers and educators include: Dean Chamrad, Michele Doyle, Dennis Froemke, Mike Humann, Greg Lardy, Lee Manske, Aileen Luethe, Jeff Printz, and Kevin Sedivec.

The cost to participants is $30. For more information, contact: Morton County Soil Conservation District; ATTN: Michele Doyle; 2610 Old Red Trail, Mandan, ND 58554-1447; Phone 701-667-1206.

Agenda Adult Range Management Camp

June 22, 1999
11:00 - 1:00 Check-in
1:00 - 2:00 Overview and ranch planning concepts
2:00 - 6:00 Field activities:

1) Plant identification,
2) Range sites and condition,
3) Plant growth
4) Effects of defoliation

6:00 - 7:00 Supper
7:15 - 9:00 Soils and soil responses from different grazing strategies
9:00 Social time

June 23, 1999
6:30 - 7:30 Breakfast
7:30 - 8:45 Beef cow requirements/forage needs for 12 months
8:45 - 9:15 Nutritional value of range and domestic grasses
9:15 - 10:00 Grazing systems
10:00 - 12:00 Field activities:

1) Range improvement practices,
2) Grass seeding and development

12:00 - 1:00 Lunch in the field
1:00 - 3:00 Field activities:

1) Range inventory

3:30 - 4:00 Stocking rates and carrying capacity
4:00 - 5:00 Examples of 12 month forage plan
5:00 - 6:00 Situation maps
6:00 - 7:00 Supper
7:00 - 9:00 Develop forage balance sheet for each participant and start planning strategies (one-on-one interaction)
9:00 Social time

June 24, 1999
6:30 - 7:30 Breakfast
7:30 - 8:00 Technical and financial assistance programs (resources available)
8:00 - 12:00 Ranch plans and development of strategies continue
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch
1:00 Closing comments and final discussion, camp evaluation

Late Season Calving Tour

Greg Lardy, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist

Late season calving is being practiced by an increasing number of beef cattle producers in an attempt to lower cost of production. Randy Gaebe, Bowman County Extension Agent, and I have put together a tour geared toward county agents and producers interested in this management strategy. The tour will be held June 3, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Mountain Daylight Time) and consists of visits to three commercial operations in southwestern North Dakota.

Joe and Shannon Fritz operate a commercial cow-calf/yearling operation north of Beach. Joe is active in the North Dakota Private Grazing Lands Coalition and they utilize late season calving and management intensive grazing as part of their operation.

Bill and Phyllis Stegner farm and ranch two miles north of Rhame. In 1998, they started calving June 1 with 180 cows. They have 410 head that will start calving on June 1 this year.
Ted Sailer and his father, Gerry, ranch south of Hettinger. They use late season calving to help lower the cost of production. Ted was featured in Beef Today for his use of "bucker piles" as a method of feeding harvested forages (rather than baling).

Please pre-register by May 1 with either Randy Gaebe (701-523-5271) or Greg Lardy (701-231-7660). If you live in the eastern part of the state and would like to attend, please contact Greg to arrange a ride.