The Winter of 2020 Ohio Beef Schools included a focus on feed and nutrition management, and also cow/calf management, and were hosted by the OSU Extension Beef Team. During January and February, these schools were held in a total of three different Ohio locations with a majority of the presentations being recorded and offered below.
First, the Ohio Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management School was held in Woodville and repeated the next evening at OSU Newark, with 2 sessions at each locale. Session 1 focused on feedlot bunk management, cost effectively utilizing alternative feed stuffs, and considerations for including small grains and co-products in the ration. This session included presentations by former OSU research nutritionist and current University of Georgia Department of Animal Sciences Chair, Dr. Francis Fluharty, and OSU Extension Beef Specialist Dr. Steve Boyles.
Session 2 of the Ohio Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management School featured presentations by several OSU Extension Educators on marketing strategies, commodity market outlook, feeding for the grids/carcass quality, forage testing, and managing annual forages for grazing and hay.
Second, the Ohio State University Extension Beef Team also hosted a more hands-on Ohio Beef Cow/Calf Workshop at the Claylick Run Farm Sale Facility near Newark, in Licking County. Session 1 was focused on alternative feeds and forages, and managing beef brood cow nutrition, with discussion led by Dr. Francis Fluharty. Session 2 targeted herd health and reproduction with Dr. Les Anderson from the University of Kentucky, and included live demonstrations from OSU Extension Beef Team members on body condition scoring, bull breeding soundness evaluation, and semen handling.
Immediately below are a few 2 to 8 minute excerpts from the proceedings that highlight key points made throughout the series. You may click here to jump to complete recordings of many of the presentations.
Dr. Francis Fluharty explains how processing forages increases digestibility. (8 minutes)
Dr. Les Anderson details the economics of a defined, 90 day or less calving season. (4.5 minutes)
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Dr. Francis Fluharty explains the importance of a good mineral program. (4 minutes)
Garth Ruff details the benefit of an effective preconditioning program. (2.5 minutes)
Dr. Les Anderson explains how the use of a CIDR and the natural service of a bull can move late calving cows up in their calving cycle 30+ days per year. (3 minutes)
Dr. Fluharty explains the impact that proper feed bunk management has on feed conversion and profitability in the feedyard. (8 minutes)
Dr. Steve Boyles explains dark cutters are a quality issue that can result from pre-harvest stress. (4 minutes)
Ted Wiseman explains that if you have high ash content in your forages, you’re feeding dirt. (2 minutes)
Dr. Francis Fluharty explains why colostrum and passive immunity are critical to the health of a new born calf. (2.5 minutes)
Recordings, in their entirety, of the majority of the Beef School presentations follow.
During the first session of the 2020 Ohio Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management School Dr. Steve Boyles discussed how the improper management and handling of fed cattle during sorting and transport can negatively impact the quality of the end product. Also (embedded above) Dr. Boyles describes how the beef cattle industry can go about reducing the estimated 35 million dollars in damage that occurs annually from bruising in beef animals.
Also during the first session of the Ohio Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management School Dr. Francis Fluharty (embedded above) presented on the importance of feedlot bunk management, cost effectively utilizing alternative feed stuffs, and considerations for including small grains and co-products in the ration.
Leading off the first session of the Ohio Beef Cow/Calf Workshop Dr. Francis Fluharty presented on cow herd nutrition and supplementation options that ultimately impact fetal growth. Dr. Fluharty also discussed how best to properly manage low quality forages at various stages of gestation and early lactation.
Leading off the second session of the Ohio Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management School, Justin Kieffer, Ohio State University Clinical Veterinarian, explained why a vaccination program enhances herd health and productivity, the science behind it, risks that might be involved, and the vaccination protocol followed in the OSU beef herds. To conclude Dr. Kieffer discussed parasite control and emerging resistance issues.
Included in the second session of the Ohio Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management School, Ted Wiseman, Ohio State University Extension Educator in Perry County, explained how to properly sample forages, and why it is so important to test the quality of our forages rather than randomly offering them to our livestock.
Also during the second session of the Ohio Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management School, Garth Ruff, Ohio State University Extension Educator in Henry County, discussed beef cattle marketing, beef quality and yield grades, and how quality and yield directly impact profitability in the beef cattle industry.
Wrapping up the second session of the Ohio Beef Cattle nutrition and Management School were OSU Extension Educators Al Gahler, Jason Hartschuh and Garth Ruff as they took a close look at the productivity and feed quality of several different late planted annual ‘cover crop’ forages they explored throughout 2019.
Leading off the second session of the Ohio Beef Cow/Calf Workshop, Dr. Les Anderson, Beef Extension Professor at the University of Kentucky, presented on reproduction efficiencies in the cow herd including getting cows rebred in a timely fashion whether utilizing artificial insemination or the natural service of herd bulls.
Also during the second session of the Ohio Beef Cow/Calf Workshop, Dean Kreager, OSU Extension Educator in Licking County discussed the importance of following proper technique when handling and thawing semen, and also shared some graphic examples of what happens when frozen semen is mishandled between the time it leaves the tank and until it’s deposited in the cow.