The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is rolling out another round of the Cattlemen’s Education Series (CES), focusing on protein and energy supplementation. NCGA is the sole sponsor of the CES, which is designed to provide resources to NCBA state and breed affiliates through grants, which allow them to extend outstanding educational experiences. The mission of the CES is to provide cutting-edge information to beef producers that contribute to increased knowledge, profitability, and sustainability. With the need for virtual events this year, NCGA and NCBA have pivoted CES efforts toward a virtual webinar series.
The beef cattle industry consumes more than 1.2 billion bushels of corn. One out of four bushels of added corn demand is due to beef and pork exports, with the beef industry providing $5.7 billion in corn value. DDGs account for nearly 8 percent of total domestic corn usage.
“Supporting programs like the CES with corn farmer checkoff dollars provides us with the opportunity to engage with cattle producers and talk about the benefits of a corn-fed diet and share research on the value of corn-based feed ingredients,” said Market Development Action Team Chair Dan Wesely. “The cattle industry is our largest animal ag customer for corn and DDGs, and this webinar series lets corn farmers directly support and interact with our cattle industry peers.”
So far this year, there have been 14 CES sessions, with four more planned for the remainder of the year. NCGA has reached more than 4,000 cattle producers through these sessions.
“With many restrictions of large gatherings still in place due to Covid-19, many cattle producers have lost their ability to attend meetings where in-person education sessions that could help make them more sustainable and profitable on their operations”, said Jesse Fulton, Director of Producer Education with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). “For many producers, these gatherings are the only opportunity producers have to attend educational sessions related to the cattle industry. The Producer Education team knows how important it is to maintain a continuous feed of valuable information to cattle producers, which is why we offer the Cattlemen’s Webinar Series for free. Through the partnership with the National Corn Growers Association, cattle producers have access to hear industry-relevant topics from industry-leading speakers.”
NCGA staff and grower leaders participated in one of the recent webinars on health issues in mid to late fed cattle. You can view it here. To register for the upcoming webinars sponsored by NCGA listed below, click here.
Upcoming Webinar Series:
Protein Supplementation for Your Herd: October 8th @ 7 p.m. Central
Jason Smith (West) & Jeff Lehmkuhler (East)
We all know protein is a vital nutrient for cattle, but many producers still have questions. How much? What are my options? In this presentation, Dr. Jason Smith & Dr. Jeff Lehmkuhler will break down the basics of protein supplementation with the goal of helping producers understand why protein is an essential component of cattle nutrition and how to be strategic with supplementation.
Energy Supplementation for Your Herd: October 20th @ 7 p.m. Central
Lawton Stewart (East) & Dave Lalman (West)
The next vital nutrient to discuss for the herd in this series is energy. How much energy do they really need? In this presentation, Dr. Lawton Stewart & Dr. Dave Lalman will break down the basics of energy supplementation with the goal of helping producers understand why energy is an essential component of cattle nutrition and how to be strategic with supplementation.
How Cow Nutrition Affects Calf Performance: October 27th @ 7 p.m. Central
Amanda Blair & Janna Block
Increasing evidence suggests maternal nutritional deficiencies and other environmental factors can influence fetal development during gestation. Referred to as fetal programming, research in this area indicates the environment experienced during gestation can impact offspring health, performance, and carcass traits. This session will explore the concept of fetal programming, provide an overview of research in beef cattle and address the influence of nutrient restriction on offspring growth performance, carcass composition and meat quality.