Nebraska Extension
The Nebraska Extension, together with the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition, will host sessions on Integrating Cattle and Wheat Production System Programs on January 19-21 at 4 p.m. at three locations in the Panhandle.
“Initially, we’ll look at the system like three legs to a stool. That includes crop rotation, soil health, and livestock grazing,” said Doug Landblom, Beef Cattle Specialist at the Dickinson Research Extension Center. “I’ve been part of an integrated team conducting research for 15 years, examining crop rotations that utilize forages and cattle grazing integrated into a spring wheat cropping system.” The diverse system has then been compared to a traditional continuous spring wheat system, to evaluate soil quality and total profitability.
The research team saw an increase in steer feedlot entry weight and a reduction in the number of feedlot days on feed, resulting in greater net return when they did direct grazing of annual forages. “We used grain, legume, mixed crops, and cover crops, such as field pea/forage barley mix and standing corn late summer and fall, followed by cover crops with yearling steers,” he said.
The program will also examine the integration of legumes into cropping systems to fix nitrogen for subsequent crops.
The events will include supper followed by a panel discussion from area producers who are utilizing annual forages with cattle grazing in their cropping systems.
The cost of the event is $20 per person. Pre-registration is requested one week before the meeting date at each location for meal counts.
To register, contact the host at each location:
Jan. 19 - Country Kitchen in Chadron, Brock Ortner email bortner2@unl.edu, or call 308-327-2312
Jan. 20 - UNL Panhandle Research Extension & Education Center in Scottsbluff, Aaron Berger email aberger2@unl.edu, or call 308-235-3122
Jan. 21 - South Platte NRD in Sidney, Aaron Berger email aberger2@unl.edu, or call 308-235-3122
