LENA, Wis. — The Marinette and Oconto County offices of UW-Madison, Division of Extension are offering a local workshop to help livestock producers get ready for the 2019 forage production season. The event is being held at the Lena Town Hall (6087 Goatsville Road, at the intersection of Goatsville and Jagiello Roads – northwest of the Village of Lena) on Friday, March 22nd, with registration beginning at 9:40 a.m. and all programs complete by about 3 p.m.
There are four main topics on the docket. Soil Health Interactions with Animal Health is first on the agenda, presented by Sarah Mills-Lloyd, Dairy & Livestock Agent based in Oconto County. Healthy animals require a proper ration, but ration management is made more difficult when we do not have healthy soil that is able to produce top quality forages with balanced mineral contents.
The rest of the morning will focus on forage sorghum and sorghum-sudan management. Matt Akins, Extension Dairy Specialist at the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station, will be sharing the work done at Marshfield ARS regarding animal performance data on the sorghum family forages, as well as agronomic management. Getting the most performance off of any acres planted to sorghum family forages is always important, and Akins will be summarizing management recommendations which their recent research has shown to be key. The BMP’s shared will assist in all aspects of in-season management, including harvest planning. He will also be sharing an overview of the other forage research being conducted at Marshfield ARS.
After lunch, alfalfa will take center stage. Specifically, the group will look at alfalfa stand management options after winter thinning and/or winter kill. The early winter icing experienced in the region is expected to cause many dead areas in existing alfalfa fields and there is always potential for more severe winterkill, as was experienced in a significant swath of the region after the 2017/18 winter. As such, proper alfalfa stand assessment will be reviewed in detail, followed by an overview of options to fill in or otherwise manage dead areas in existing stands. Further, the economics of making stand management decisions (Rotate early vs. Fill-in vs. Keep as is vs. Take 1st crop and then plant something else) will be analyzed.
The final topic will be annual forage options other than the forage sorghum family already discussed. Corn silage is generally the comparison point, but how can area producers maximize total economic return from forage acres? Putting dollars and sense to this decision may show that a particular operation is better served by including small grains, annual legumes, forage mixes, and possibly alternative rotation planning with corn silage acres. The afternoon topics will be facilitated by Scott Reuss, Crops/Soils Extension Agent for the two counties. A Q & A session with all three presenters will take place either just after lunch or at the end of the program, as well.
There will be a $15 per-person or $25/per farm (any number of attendees) registration fee, including lunch and all handouts, for this event. The per-farm registration fee is intended to assist having all forage management decision-makers attend to be able to jump start the on-farm decisions which are likely going to be made as we enter the 2019 cropping season.
Anyone wishing to attend is asked to contact Scott Reuss to pre-register, primarily to make certain that lunch and materials are available for all attendees. Either call 715-732-7510 or e-mail to sreuss@marinettecounty.com to register. Payment will be collected on-site and on-site registration will be accepted.
UW-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including TitleVI, Title IX, and ADA. Please contact Scott or Nancy at 715-732-7510 if you need any type of accommodation or assistance that you may require to attend this event. All requests will be kept confidential.
— UW-Extension, Marinette County
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