2022 Northwest Florida Beef Cattle Conference Highlights with Links for Presentations

by | Feb 18, 2022 | Beef Cattle, Fencing, fertilization, Forage & Pasture, Grazing Management, Livestock, pasture

Beef Conference Crowd

172 cattle ranchers and industry professionals attended the 2022 Northwest Florida Beef Cattle Conference & Trade Show in Marianna, Florida. Credit: Doug Mayo, UF/IFAS

 

The 37th annual Northwest Florida Beef Cattle Conference & Trade Show was held in Marianna, on Wednesday, February 9, 2022.  There were 172 registered attendees that enjoyed five educational presentations, as well as interaction with industry professionals through 25 booths in the trade show.  The event concluded with wonderful grilled steak lunch prepared by the Jackson County Cattlemen’s Association’s famous “Cooking Crew.”  Many of the participants at the event were interested in copies of the presentations that were provided, so this article provides access to the information that was shared at the conference.

The focus of the 2022 conference was “Managing Costs without Sacrificing Productivity.”  All five presentations focused on managing input costs.  The following are links to printer friendly versions of the presentations that were provided.

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Foundational Beef Herd Management for Profitability

The Theory of the First 80%–

Kalyn Waters, Holmes County Extension Director, provided an interactive discussion about managing the first 80%, the foundational areas of beef herd management that can’t be ignored to remain profitable.  The slide shown above was one of her key slides that points out aspects that can’t be ignored, and also shares the 20% that while are good practices, may not be as important when input costs are high.  Download the PDF version of her presentation by using the following link:

1 Waters – Foundational Beef Herd Management

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Improving the Efficiency of Your Cattle Operation

Grazing Essentials slide–

Johnny Rogers, Cattle Extension Associate, North Carolina State, shared his top five areas of management to improve the efficiency of a beef herd.  The slide above highlights the five key principles from his presentation.  As the project coordinator for the North Carolina Amazing Grazing Program, Rogers focused in on five key principles:  managing the health of the soil, distribution of nutrients, utilizing electric fencing, stockpiled grazing, and selecting cattle that will be most productive for your forage system.  Download the PDF version of his presentation by using the following link:

2- Rogers – Improving Efficiency through Grazing Essentials

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Developing a Strategic Plan for 2022

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Chris PrevattChris Prevatt, UF/IFAS Livestock & Forage Economist, shared a current cattle market update, as well as touching on issues that will affect input cost inflation in 2022.  Then he shared his top 10 ways to survive over the next decade.  Prevatt discussed key elements of developing a strategic plan for your operation.  Download the PDF version of his presentation by using the following link:

3 – Prevatt – 2022 Developing a Strategic Plan

 

 

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Cutting Costs without Cutting Corners on Pasture Management

Cutting Pasture Costs

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Marcelo WallauMarcelo Wallau, UF/IFAS Forage Extension Specialist, discussed a very challenging topic of managing fertilizer costs.  He offered some options for reducing fertilizer inputs, while also discussing the long-term impact of those decisions.  There are forage options available to extend the grazing season (as in the slide above) and be less reliant on harvested hay and purchased feeds, but annual forages will not be productive without fertilization.  Download the PDF version of his presentation by using the following link:

4- Wallau Cutting Pasture Costs

 

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Managing Supplemental Feed Costs

Managing Supplemental Feed Costs

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Nicolas DiLorenzo, UF/IFAS Cattle Nutrition Specialist, shared options to manage the cost of feeding supplemental feeds and hay.  He and his team have tested numerous byproducts and conserved forage options for feeding cattle.  He shared summaries of their work, and provided recommendations based on the data that his team has gathered over the years.    Download the PDF version of his presentation by using the following link:

5 – DiLorenzo Managing Supplemental Feed Costs

 

 

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.

Save the date and make plans to attend the 38th annual Beef Cattle Conference to be held on Wednesday, February 8, 2023!

Doug Mayo
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