MU Extension to host workshop for beef cattle producers

BUFFALO, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension in Dallas County will hold a free beef cattle producers workshop 5-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, in the newly completed conference and training room in the Dallas County Governmental Annex Building on the east side of the square in Buffalo.

Topics include strategies to hedge against drought conditions and potentially declining market prices. Chris Lynch, with Gibson Insurance Co., will discuss the process and timelines for signing up for Pasture, Rainfall, Forage (PRF) insurance and Livestock Risk Protection (LRP). Both programs offer a government-supported, privately sourced insurance product that can be a useful tool to mitigate financial losses incurred on the farm, says MU Extension livestock field specialist Andy McCorkill.

PRF is designed to provide financial support to purchase additional feed in times of drought, while LRP helps protect revenue from potential livestock market declines. “Both programs are available and can be useful to producers of all sizes of cattle operations,” McCorkill says.

LRP insurance can be bought on a single animal, where conventionally available contracting tools have excluded all but the largest producers because of the way they’ve been designed, he says.

Livestock field specialists McCorkill and Patrick Davis will also discuss topics revolving around stocker cattle management. They plan to focus on building nutritional and health plans to increase the likelihood of keeping calves healthy and gaining weight. “Whether you’re just getting your own calves ready for the next phase of production or buying and grouping up calves to make a few bucks, profitability revolves around putting the proper type of gain on and doing is as cheaply as possibly,” McCorkill says. “Nutrition and health are the cornerstones of meeting that objective.”

A meal will be provided. Preregistration is requested by Monday, Nov. 10. Register online or contact the Dallas County MU Extension Center at 417-345-7551 or email Katie Stewart at clstewart@missouri.edu, Andy McCorkill at mccorkilla@missouri.edu or Patrick Davis at davismp@missouri.edu.

This program is made possible by support of the Dallas County Commission, MU Extension and generous local sponsors.