Saskatchewan Ranch Management Forum 2023 to Be Held in Kindersley
By Megan Roger, BSA AAg, Livestock and Feed Extension Specialist, Moose Jaw
We are excited to announce that the Saskatchewan Ranch Management Forum, an annual event highlighting topics of interest for Saskatchewan ranchers, will be back in person February 17 and 18 in Kindersley, Sask. While most of the event will be held at the Elks Lodge, the second day will include some on-farm demonstrations. There will be a variety of different topics discussed with a packed agenda for the two days.
Thursday, February 16:
VBP+ will be offering a training course the Thursday evening for those interested in attending.
The Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) program is an on-farm food safety program that enables certified beef cattle operations to demonstrate to consumers and retailers that their operation adheres to the highest standards for food safety, animal care and environmental stewardship.
Friday, February 17:
Friday’s topics focus on forage and grazing. There will be multiple presentations from extension specialists on current demonstration projects and we will also hear from industry experts.
The morning will start with a discussion on a corn grazing ADOPT project, followed by Dwayne Summach, Livestock and Feed Extension Specialist, presenting on a canola meal supplementation ADOPT project completed with Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association. Dr. Bart Lardner from the University of Saskatchewan will be discussing strategies for extending your winter grazing systems followed by Dr. Jeff Schoenau, also from the University of Saskatchewan, who will speak on improving forage fertility.
Friday afternoon will include a producer panel discussing extended grazing. Ministry staff will follow with presentations around 4R forage fertility, recording keeping and grazing software ADOPT projects. Geoff Shmigelsky, co-founder of One Cup AI, will provide a presentation about the use of artificial intelligence on the ranch. Andre Bonneau, Range Management Extension Specialist will continue the technology discussion by presenting various virtual fencing options, followed by ministry staff discussing the use of trail cameras to remotely monitor water sources. Colby Elford, Regional Manager, will close out the first day with a presentation on Proactive Stewardship Pilot and extensive winter feeding.
Saturday, February 18:
On Saturday morning, attendees will travel to a local farm for concurrent sessions. Dwayne Summach will be discussing shrink with a visual demonstration, Rikki Wilson, Livestock and Feed Extension Specialist, will advise on body condition scoring, Lee Sinclair, with Merck, will provide a cattle handling demonstration and Gordon Roger, with Elanco, will be discussing growth implants and implanting practices.
After the on-farm portion, the group will head back to the conference area for lunch and additional presentations to close out the second day. This will include Andre Bonneau discussing ways to balance forage supply and demand that will be followed by a live demonstration and discussion of how you can improve calf prices at auction. Jodi Griffin, with Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation, will provide details on insurance programs available to livestock and forage producers. Jenifer Heyden will close the day with some information on feed testing and how to interpret a feed test.
Registration is open until February 3, 2023, by calling the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377. For more information about Ranch Management Forum 2023, or other livestock related topics, contact your local livestock and feed extension specialist. We look forward to seeing you there.
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