UC to Help Ranchers
Survive Winter 2013-14
The first agricultural operations to feel the impact
of a drought are dryland ranchers, many of whom rely almost entirely on annual
rainfall to grow food for their livestock. The UC Division of Agriculture and
Natural Resources will hold a drought workshop from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 29
in Browns Valley to help these ranchers live on to fight another day, said Glenn Nader, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Sutter-Yuba
counties.
"From previous droughts we've learned that
feeding the whole herd through the drought may spell the end of business,"
Nader said. "We plan to provide information on management options and
impacts of drought on dryland range and irrigated pasture, feeding options to
consider during a drought and how to decide what cows to sell."
Nader is organizing the workshop, "Mitigating
Drought - Optimizing Pasture and Supplemental Feed, and Managing Risk,"
with Jeremy James, director of the UC Sierra Foothill Research and
Extension Center.
The workshop is designed to provide ranchers with
information to manage their herds during a period of low feed supply. Practical
tools and strategies to be presented include:
•
Getting the most effective use out of limited dryland
and irrigated pasture
•
Alternative protein and roughage supplementation
•
Understanding the economics of supplementation
•
Managing animal health
•
Making culling decisions
•
Tax and insurance issues related to drought
Following is the complete agenda:
Overview
9 a.m.
Welcome and introduction
9:10 a.m.
The last 30
years of rainfall and rangeland forage production
Larry Forero, UCCE Shasta and
Trinity counties
Optimizing pasture
9:30 a.m.
Using and storing
annual feed on rangeland and alternatives to annual feed
Josh Davy, UCCE
Tehama, Colusa, Glenn counties
9:50 a.m.
Optimizing irrigation and
fertilization on irrigated pasture
Larry Forero, UCCE Shasta and Trinity
counties
10:10 a.m.
Getting the most out of your pastures with grazing
management
Roger Ingram, UCCE Nevada, Placer counties
10:30 a.m.
Field
demonstration of drought management tools and impacts
11:30 a.m.
Lunch
Optimizing supplemental feed
12:50 p.m.
How
and when to supplement and economics of supplementation
Dr. Jim Oltjen, Dept.
of Animal Science, UC Davis
12:50 p.m.
Alternative protein supplementation
Dr.
Roberto Sainz, Dept. of Animal Science, UC Davis
1:20 p.m.
Roughage
supplementation, feeding corn to spare hay
Glenn Nader, UCCE Yuba, Sutter, Butte
counties
Risk Management and Economics
1:40 p.m.
What
did ranchers learn from the 1970s drought?
Wally Roney, Rancher
Tehama and
Butte counties
2:00 p.m.
Government/NAP, Emergency feed, Low interest
loans
Justin Oldfield, California Cattlemen's Association
2:20 p.m.
Lack of
Rainfall Insurance
Matt Griffith, Ranch Protection
2:40 p.m.
Cow-calf
Economics
Glenn Nader, UCCE Yuba, Sutter, Butte counties
3:00 p.m.
Wrap up and
assessment
Labels: California Ag News, Jan. 29 Meeting Browns Valley, UC to Help Ranchers survive winter 2013-14