There was a great crowd of over 200 ranchers, industry professionals, and extension faculty at the 2020 Northwest Florida Beef Conference and Trade Show provided by UF/IFAS Extension in Marianna. Credit: Doug Mayo, UF/IFAS
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The 35th annual Northwest Florida Beef Conference was a great success, thanks to everyone who participated. There were 181 people registered, but 202 steaks were served for lunch. There were 25 companies and organizations represented in the Trade Show. There were also 31 participants who received 1 Private Applicator CEU, to aid with pesticide license renewal.
The focus of the 2020 Beef Conference was “Enhancing Ranch Resiliency.” There were five presentations at the event that provided ideas to help ranchers be more efficient and resilient, and to help them to overcome some of the challenges of modern cattle ranching. Numerous participants were interested in obtaining a copy of the presentations, so they could review the points that were made. The links below provide access to PDF or printer-friendly versions of the presentations provided at this year’s Beef Conference.
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Market Outlook and Cost Savings Options Utilizing Forages
Chris Prevatt, UF/IFAS Livestock & Forage Economist shared a market outlook for 2020 and also provided some cost savings ideas utilizing grazing of annual and stockpiled forages.
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1 – Prevatt Market Outlook
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Resilient Beef Herd Management
Dr. Matt Poore, North Carolina State Extension Specialist provided several ideas that producers can use to reduce costs, by improving pasture productivity. He introduced several key concepts including amazing grazing, adaptive management, and the power of one electric wire. During his presentation, Dr. Poore also mentioned a publication he wrote a few years ago to help people get started with adaptive grazing management. In addition to the presentation link below, there is also a link to this publication.
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2- Poore Amazing Grazing
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NC State – Twelve Step Plan to Amazing Grazing for Beef Cattle
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Managing Reproduction Efficiency
Dr. Angela Gonella-Diaza, UF/IFAS Beef Reproductive Management Specialist, shared some key concepts in her presentation to help improve reproduction of beef herds. She discussed calving distribution, calving interval, estrus synchronization, and timed artificial insemination.
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3 – Gonella-Diaza – Improving Reproductive Efficiency
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Weed Control for Resilient Pastures
Dr. Pratap Devkota, UF/IFAS Weed Specialist discussed the importance of weed control in pastures. Weeds compete for nutrients and water, reduce nutritional quality, and discourage uniform grazing in pastures.
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4- Devkota Weed Control
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Managing Insects to Protect Forage Production
Danielle Sprague, Jefferson County Extension gave producers tips for managing key insects that damage forages. She shared how to identify pests, when to be on the lookout for them, provided economic thresholds for control, and provided an overview of insecticides that can be used once thresholds are reached.
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5 – Sprague Forage Insects
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In addition to the presentations, there was a Trade Show of 25 businesses and organizations that provide goods and services to support cattle production in the Tri-State Region. The following were a few photos from the Trade Show.
Mark your calendar, and make plans to attend the 36th annual Beef Conference to be held on Wednesday, February 10, 2020!
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