Cow Calf Days Seminar 2023

by Tim McCray, Tim@ABPmag.com

Cow-Calf Days

It sounds like a small town annual celebration. I wonder if there will be rides for the kids, corn dogs, and cotton candy. Not really, I knew this was more of an informational kind of event with several guest speakers on an array of topics. I was somewhat curious if there would be many differences between the two stops that I attended, and although the speakers and topics covered were nearly identical, there was a bonus and a difference between them. You never know what you’re going to get, or what you may miss if you don’t go. Well, there was food, plenty of it, at least at the two stops I attended. This year’s schedule was spread out over 2 weeks, consisting of 4-5 stops per week. There was a Northern tour and a Southern tour. Minnesota is a large state, so spreading something like this out in two different regions is a necessity, and it also provides multiple options for attendance. Although the first stop that I went to at Clear Springs Cattle Company in Starbuck, MN is practically a 3-hour drive, I doubt many drove that kind of distance to get there. That is why there are so many “tour stops” spread out across the state. A few days later, I also attended my second cow-calf days, a little further south, in Oronoco, MN at Tony Rossman’s farm.

Cow-Calf Days was started in 1973 by the University of Minnesota. which, at the time was at the pinnacle of animal science research. Spearheaded by Dr. Goodrich, Dr, Rust, & Dr. Meiske, it started more as a series of local meetings spread around the state. Much of the discussion at the time revolved around establishing energy requirement values for growing cattle, forages & production practices. By the late 80’s, the cow-calf day’s program evolved into a more concentrated format which also brought some leadership changes, most notably Dr. Alfredo DiCostanzo. Alfredo spent 25 years with the program and only recently retired from this program to work in Nebraska. Over his 25 years with the U of M, Dr. DiCostanzo witnessed the producer becoming younger and believes that the transfer to the younger generation is happening in the cow-calf industry at a slower rate, or at a later time. Alfredo thought that the time frame when they were dealing with bovine Tuberculosis

was a standout period for him. Although the “Beef Team”, as they were known, has always responded to the current conditions of the industry. By the mid 90’s, the more focused program had evolved into 5 or so locations per year. At the turn of the century, the program held its course and expanded to 10 locations. In 2011, the program reached a low point, with fewer attendees and support. Then in 2014, the program was rebranded as the Cow-Calf Days Seminar Tour & Trade Show under the direction of Alfredo and current leader, Eric Mousel. With a renewed interest in optimizing the interaction between the beef team, industry partners, and beef producers, the program has returned to levels of support and attendance not seen in 40 years.

Eric Mousel gave an overview of the conditions facing the industry today. He had numerous chart graphs to reiterate what he believes is a market about to really improve for the producer. Beef cow slaughter accelerated again this year, above the 5-year average. In addition to that, the packing plant’s workforce is limited, but they’re also caught up. The prediction here is that there will be no more Saturday kills. Drought conditions are improving throughout the US and they will see some new additions to the beef team in the coming year. Dr. Aimee Lutz from Devenish Nutrition spoke about how they looked at what was driving the economic success of the cow-calf operation. “It really boiled down to two things: The number of calves born, the number of calves at weaning & the weight of those calves at weaning.” Then they looked at how they could provide the most benefit to increase those numbers by looking at conception rates, stamina of those calves, & in-utero development.

Dar Giess of DLCC Ranch (aka Director of Post Hole manufacturing), recently back from NCBA, had some suggestions for taking home more dol lars when you take your calves to market. Simple things that he feels can be overlooked, which costs you more money when it comes to sale time. Not vaccinating, cutting or weaning will bring the value down. A small investment in vaccines will bring close to 5x more than that cost at the sale barn, hence leaving money in the pasture, not in your pocket. He tied that together quite nicely with nutrition and backed up what Aimee had discussed previously. Probably the one item that has versatility for both around the ranch and saving your marriage: standing panels. A good investment, plus he’s never seen them go down in price. What was purchased for 175 – 225 in years past, can be worth 450 or more by the time he’s finished with them. Buying the best bulls available and the best genetics will move your cowherd further & faster than anything else you can do, but find a breeder that represents good cattle. Finally, when sale day comes, make sure you’re in a seat at the auction barn to represent your herd and be on hand to answer any questions. Buyers like to see who they’re buying from.

State cattlemen officers also showed up at each stop. Outgoing president Grant Breitkreutz discussed what’s being done at the government level about the populous wolf & deer populations. He also talked about "Steak-on-a-Stick Day" (it’s a Minnesota thing), aka bribery on the capital. This year’s bribe is set for April 20th and they estimate to feed around 800 steaks to lawmakers & staff on the capital grounds.

We also got some education on soil health from Mark Guitierrez, Executive Director of the MN Soil Health Coalition & Grazing Lands Conservation Association. Principles of soil health were discussed and increasing your profitability through better management. Keeping a living root in the system, and integrating livestock for benefits. There was an additional course on soil health later on in the evening at Clear Springs cattle company, which wasn’t featured on the rest of the tour.

Philip Abrahamson from SunnySlope Angus also came to Rossman’s farm and finished out the evening by telling some of his own memories of both personal history and Cow-Calf days history. One of the most memorable, in 1967, was that Philip, Dave Nichols, and Duaine Penner were called to St. Joseph to convince the field men that keeping track of weaning & yearling weights would be ok.

As I was talking with Dr. Alfredo about his term, he mentioned an observation: "The program has continued to have a high impact. It takes some planning, a lot of organization, and creating a good network. This program has to be good or it won’t survive.” Eric also reiterated that it’s about connecting as many people as possible. Networking, and improving communication with operators and others in the industry.