The Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University is partnering with the University of Nebraska and Lallemand Animal Nutrition to offer a one-day conference “Silage for Beef Cattle” on June 14. It will be held in Mead, Neb. If you can’t make it to Mead, you can watch it as a livestream.

Another silage conference will be on June 21 in Dubuque, Iowa. ISU Extension is co-hosting the Iowa-Wisconsin Silage Conference in partnership with the University of Wisconsin. There’s no livestreaming with this conference; you’ll have to drive to Dubuque if you want to attend.

Both conferences are for producers, nutrition consultants and Extension personnel who work with cattle. Anyone who is interested in producing and feeding corn silage to cattle (beef or dairy) is encouraged to attend.

The scoop on 2 events
Building on the success of a similar conference in 2016, the Iowa Beef Center is partnering again with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Lallemand Animal Nutrition. ISU feedlot specialist and IBC Director Dan Loy says organizers of the June 14 event want as many people as possible to access the information. That’s why the program, to be held at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center at Mead, will be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person.

Galen Erickson, beef feedlot Extension specialist at the University of Nebraska, says corn silage can be economical when included in growing and finishing rations for beef cattle. “There are many important variables including variety of corn, ensiling, pricing and feeding management. When feed is one of the largest costs, it’s important we consider all these angles,” he says.

Bob Charley, forage products manager for Lallemand, says his team is excited to again work with ISU and the University of Nebraska to bring the conference to the beef industry. “We heard a lot of positive feedback after the 2016 conference and have an excellent lineup of speakers for this year’s program,” he says. “After the conference, everyone attending should be able to improve silage quality, limit losses and better formulate rations. There’s no operation that couldn’t benefit from those improvements.”

Event free if preregistered by June 11
This event is free to all who preregister by June 11, regardless of whether they’ll attend the program on-site in Mead or watch the livestream through the Iowa Beef Center website. The conference flier has agenda information, address of the live event location and contacts for more information. Ten experts on various silage topics will give presentations.

The conference begins at 8:30 a.m., will adjourn by 4 p.m. and lunch is provided on-site. Otherwise, the fee is $30 per person for those not preregistered, with that amount due on-site the day of the event.

“This is a great opportunity for us to bring current research information to the cattle industry in Iowa, Nebraska and beyond,” Loy says. “Offering both an on-site location and online streaming opportunity increases the reach of this information to a national and international audience.”

For more information, call Loy at 515-294-1058.

Silage conference June 21 in Dubuque
Dairy, beef and silage experts from across the Midwest will be present at the Iowa-Wisconsin Silage Conference on June 21 in Dubuque. Presenters from Iowa State University, University of Wisconsin, University of Nebraska and industry will provide information on a wide range of topics dealing with growing and using silage.

Registration and check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. June 21. The program starts at 9:30 a.m. and adjourns at 3:30 p.m. It will be held at the Best Western Plus Dubuque Hotel & Conference Center, 3100 Dodge St.

Topics to be discussed at this conference:

• Quality corn silage before, during and after harvest; Hugo Ramirez-Ramirez, assistant professor and ISU Extension diary specialist

• Characteristics of corn varieties for silage; Randy Shaver, professor of dairy science, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Molds and mycotoxins in silage; Paige Gott, ruminant technical manager with Biomin

• Pricing corn silage; Denise Schwab, beef field specialist with ISU Extension, and Bill Halfman, ag agent with University of Wisconsin-Extension

• Machinery efficiency; Brian Luck, assistant professor and University of Wisconsin Extension specialist.

• Corn silage safety; Keith Bolsen, founder Keith Bolsen Silage Safety Foundation

There will also be two concurrent sessions discussing corn silage in dairy and beef rations, as well as use of silage and beef calculators, and an update on contemporary corn silage processing.

You can register online. Cost is $50 if registering before midnight June 14, and $75 after that date. Registration includes lunch and refreshment breaks.

For assistance with registration, receipts, cancellation or questions, contact Program Services at 515-294-6429 or [email protected].

Source: Iowa State University