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2006 Beef Research
Report
Introduction to Livestock
Research and Education
North Dakota State University and the Carrington Research Extension Center
are proud to present this feedlot research report for 2006. The collaborative
efforts from multiple Departments and Centers at NDSU represented in this
publication support current and future livestock production in North Dakota.
The authors hope this information is useful and appreciate interaction with
livestock stakeholders.
Beef Feedlot Research
NDSU has increased its feedlot research program through collaborative
efforts of an informal research team including scientists and extension
faculty from the Animal and Range Science Department and the Carrington
Research Extension Center. Many other experiment station and extension
faculty contribute to the feedlot research and outreach program as well.
The feedlot enterprise has been proven to be economically competitive
in North Dakota when management and economies of scale are optimized.
The focus areas for feedlot research are nutrition with North Dakota feedstuffs,
feedlot management, the environment, waste management, genetics of North
Dakota cattle, and economics. Feedlot research and outreach is conducted
for the benefit of all cattle feeders. We appreciate the financial support
of several commodity groups, and state and federal grant programs as listed
in the acknowledgments.
Beef Cow/Calf Research
The beef cow/calf studies focus on defining the appropriate and optimum
uses of the vast feed resources available in North Dakota. Many of these
feeds are uniquely useful to beef cows, having low protein and energy
levels but enough nutritional value to support productive beef herds with
minimal supplementation. Nutritional research with cow herd explores utilization
of crop residues, deliberate forage production, new feeds and forages,
and the growing supply of processing by-product or co-product feeds. The
research herd is used to investigate and demonstrate the synergies of
enterprise integration, in this case field crops and ruminant livestock.
Integration of cows and crops has proven to be a more biologically and
economically sustainable approach to farming. Cows can lower the financial
risks associated with crops-only farming.
Livestock Nutrient
Management
Livestock manure is a more visible and sensitive topic in areas where
animals are fed, however, this resource can provide significant advantages
when employed in cropping systems. Crop production benefits in several
ways from using livestock manure as fertilizer. Composting manure and
determining nutrient value of manure are current program focal points.
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