Daily Archives: October 14, 2014

Livestock Forage Workshop

Learn how cover crops could benefit your operation! Outdoor demonstrations on

 Grazing cover crops 

 Economics of alternative forages 

 End of year pasture assessments 

 Prairie pollinators 

 Low-stress livestock handling 

Workshop will be held October 22, 2014 from 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the Dalebanks Angus Sale Facility, 3 miles NW of Eureka, KS. Call 620-583-5544 to RSVP & for directions

Fall Forage Tour: Utilizing Cover Crops to Improve Soil Health and Increase Cow Carrying Capacity

Amazing Grazing events continue with two, free fall forage tours!

Cattlemen and producers are invited to the Fall Forage Tour, Friday, October 31 and Saturday, November 1, 2014. The tour will begin at 1:00 p.m. on both days at the Dale Strickler Farm, one mile south of Courtland on the west side of the highway.

Two audiences will benefit from participation in the Fall Forage Tour-cattle producers and those interested in utilizing cover crops to improve soil health. The tour will focus on improving soil productivity through the use of cover crops, forages, and perennial grasses.

If you’ve ever been on one of Dale’s tours or heard him speak on cover crops, you know this is don’t miss opportunity!

            Examples of key take-aways from the Fall Forage Tour include:

There are two methods to carry more cattle on your ranch…

Method 1: Buy a bigger ranch.
Method 2: Improve the productivity of your current ranch.
Note: We will NOT be discussing Method 1 at this event!

What carrying capacity & weaning weights can be achieved with optimum management?

Is it possible to graze 12 months a year and eliminate feeding hay?

Is it possible to have more production and profit from grazing crops with animals than harvesting the grain?

Tour includes Dale’s Cow/Calf Operation and the following forages:

  • Eastern Gamagrass
  • Cover Crop Test Plot
  • Grazing Alfalfa
  • Bird’s Foot Trefoil
  • Tropic Sun Non-Toxic Sun Hemp
  • Low Alkaloid Reed Canary Grass
  • Brown Midrib Forage Sorghum Sudan
  • Many other forage & grass varieties

We encourage ranchers of all sizes to attend one of these free tours, as you will learn valuable information and insights that will improve production and profitability of your livestock enterprise.

Please feel free to contact Mary if you have any questions about the event or how to RSVP.

Mary Howell

Kansas Farmers Union & Kansas Graziers Association

[email protected]

785-562-8726

NO-TILL ON THE PLAINS WHIRLWIND EXPO NOVEMBER 3 IN MARIONCOUNTY

No-till on the Plains, Inc. will host a no-till field day for producers to gain a better understanding of the importance of soil health by utilizing continuous no‐till  cropping

Systems and cover crops. Members of the media and the general public are also invited. This event is being sponsored by the Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams, the Marion

Reservoir WRAPS project and the Marion county Farm Bureau Association. No-till on the Plains is pleased to offer this high‐quality educational event to all interested producers.

The Whirlwind No‐till Expo will take place on Monday November 3, beginning promptly at 8:30 a.m. at the MarionCommunity Center, 203 N. 3td St..  The day will begin with a Rainfall Simulator demonstration followed by a tour of local fields utilizing various cover crops. The highlight of the morning features a soil pit where participants can examine soil characteristics in both long‐term no‐till and conventional till environments. Lunch will be provided at the MarionCommunity Center, followed by a full afternoon of knowledgeable speakers. A $20 registration fee is required for attendance.

Featured speakers are University of Nebraska‐Lincoln Extension Engineer Paul Jasa who is a great source of information in the Midwest on no‐till planting equipment and system management. Greg Scott, professional soil scientist and soils expert from Tryon, Oklahoma. Star Seed agronomist and cover crop expert Dale Strickler. Continuous no-till producers Ryan Speer from Halstead, Kansas and Josh Lloyd from Oak Hill, Kansas will present information about their operations, cropping rotations, including how they use cover crops for soil health and weed control.

No‐till farming systems offer several advantages to producers willing to implement the system. Fewer trips across fields without tillage passes will reduce fuel costs. Increasing crops in rotations will break weed and insect pest cycles. Increased crop residue and root systems will increase soil organic matter and microbiological activity, thereby increasing the productiveness and fertility of the soil. Implemented in a site‐specific systems approach, no‐till will, over time, outperform conventional tillage.

Each year No‐till on the Plains hosts field days, bus tours and the annual Winter Conference for producers to gain valuable no‐till information. “We’re striving to meet our mission to be a primary resource for no-till information and a support network for producers”, says Ryan Speer, No-till on the Plains President.

For more information on the Whirlwind No‐till Expo or to pre‐register by October 31, contact No‐till on the Plains, Inc. at 785‐210‐4525 or register online at www.notill.org