Beef short course addresses marketing, management issues

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Staying abreast of cattle industry issues, from marketing opportunities to current feeding and management practices, is a key for producers to remain competitive and improve profitability.

The 2002 Great Lakes Professional Cattle Feeding and Marketing Short Course is intended to help producers throughout the Eastern Corn Belt capitalize on those opportunities.

“Our drive was to do something for regional feedlot producers – to combine forces and answer varied topic requests addressed by cattle operators of every size, but mainly for the small-to-medium size feed lot operators,” said Steve Boyles, an Ohio State University animal scientist.

Schedule. The short course will be held in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Ontario, Canada in February and April. The first session will be repeated at each location Feb. 25-28.

The first short course will be held from 6-8:30 p.m., Feb. 25 in Bowling Green, Ohio, followed by presentations on Feb. 26 in Rochester, Ind.; Feb. 27 in East Lansing, Mich.; and Feb. 28 in Wyoming, Ontario.

The first session deals with suggestions on marketing cattle and different resources or stations that can move finished cattle. Some of the featured speakers for the first session include researchers from Kansas State, Michigan State and Purdue universities.

The second session will take place nightly from 6-9 p.m. April 1-4 and will be held at the same locations: April 1 in Bowling Green, Ohio; April 2 in Rochester, Ind.; April 3 in East Lansing, Mich.; and April 4 in Wyoming, Ontario.

Topics for the second session deal with environmental assessments and weaning and starting cattle on feed. Featured speakers for the second session include industry representatives from Pfizer Animal Health, Nutrition Physiology Corp., and Certified Angus Beef, as well as researchers from Ohio State.

Registration. There is a $30 registration fee for the first attendee from an operation and an additional $15 fee for each participant thereafter. 4-H and FFA members can register for $10. Participants are encouraged to send in their application form before Feb. 21.

For more information on the Ohio course contact Steve Boyles at 614-292-7669; in Indiana, Kern Hendrix at 765-494-4832; and in Michigan, Steven Rust at 517-432-1390.