Welcome

Ali Saleh, Edward Osei, Narayanan Kannan

Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research (TIAER)

The Nutrient Tracking Tool (NTT) allows producers to evaluate how  different conservation practices can improve their fields and farms. 

Megan Rolf, KSU

 Water is an essential nutrient, but one that is often forgotten because  it is not balanced for in a ration. While water may not be limiting in  some environments, there are large portions of the U.S. where water  availability and quality may be a limiting factor in production that  could be alleviated through selection. 

Heather Shaffery, K20 Center

Teachers have not traditionally received professional development in agricultural studies; therefore, many lack the experience and knowledge necessary to effectively add the content into their classrooms. In addition, recent changes in research-based science instruction mean teachers need access to ongoing professional development around new practices.

Sara Place, NCBA

As part of the Beef Industry Sustainability Assessment, a nationwide characterization of regional beef production practices was conducted. The results of this work are being integrated into a full cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment that takes into account the packing, processing, marketing, and consumption phases of the U.S. beef supply chain. 

David Lalman, OSU

Limit Feeding can be a cost effective strategy to retain the cow herd nucleus when hay and forage production is low due to drought. The cost effectiveness of limit feeding will depend on each producer’s price of alternative forage, the price of grain, and the price of the supplement needed for the hay or the limit feeding program.

Ryan Reuter, OSU

Sustainability in grazing systems is the nexus of simultaneous improvements in profit, social capital, and environmental impact. Our research investigates ways to use supplements to increase food production while reducing enteric methane emissions, and increase profit for ranchers. Preliminary data from multiple experiments show that, in general, supplementation that improves cattle ADG (profit and food production) dilutes enteric methane emissions per unit of food produced. 

Albert Sutherland, OSU

The National Cattle Comfort Advisor provides a way to measure severity and length of cold or heat events by using air temperature, wind speed, sunlight and humidity, to calculate cattle cold and heat stress levels. National maps are produced on a hourly basis at three sunlight levels. Past maps go back to January 1, 2016. 

Cathryn Davis, Kansas State University

Cover crops offer potential benefits for improving soil health, but establishment and management costs can be expensive. Utilizing cover crops as supplemental forage can be a great approach to recovering those costs and benefits producers by integrating crop and animal production.

Jordan Christian, OU

Flash droughts are characterized by the rapid onset and development of drought conditions. These types of droughts can adversely affect vegetation health by quickly depleting root zone soil moisture and increasing moisture stress. Significant yield loss can occur in agricultural regions if flash drought develops during sensitive stages in the growing season.

David Lalman, OSU

Calving season timing, grazing system, regional environmental conditions and genetics are factors that interact to influence cattle performance, production costs and marketing.  A better understanding of these interaction’s impact on cow/calf production systems in the Southern Great Plains should lead to an improved match between system profitability and efficiency.

Alex Rocateli, OSU

Summer cover crops may improve soil health when introduced to a wheat-fallow system. However, they add extra costs and may affect wheat development and yield. Grazing cover crops may help recovering costs without significant impacts on benefits to soil and next wheat crop. This webinar covers one-year results of an on-going two-location study which evaluating eight summer cover crops under different simulated grazing regimes and their effects in the next wheat crop.

Walter Fick, Kansas State University

Prescribed burning is an important rangeland management tool used in the Great Plains.  Participants will become informed on material presented at the joint agency Prescribed Burning Workshops in Kansas including:

• Reasons for burning
  
• Regulations, liability, and smoke management
  
• Weather impacts and sources of information
  
• Fuels, fire types, and behavior
  
• Burn plans and conducting a prescribed burn

DeAnn Presley, Kansas State University

Cover crops are a complex topic in many ways. Understanding their impacts on soil–crop relationships is essential to the development of sustainable cover cropping systems.There are a lot of choices, each with different strengths and weaknesses.Participants will learn about different soil properties and research on how they have changed when cover crops were introduced into different farming systems.

Jason Warren, Oklahoma State University

This webinar provides information on the benefits of grazing cover crops on cropland in the southern U.S. as well as insights on successful management strategies and potential negative impacts of improper management.

Webinar participants can expect to learn:

• fundamentals of forage value of annual cover crops
  
• timing and method of grazing to obtain best utilization
  
• balance between forage quantity and quality
  
• impacts on soil and whole-farm production

Brian Arnall, Oklahoma State University

The goal of precision management in forage systems is to produce the highest quality forage output while making the most efficient use of inputs.
 

Webinar participants can expect to learn:

• benefits of soil testing;
  
• contexts in which different soil sampling methods are useful; and
  
• how precision management may impact yield in forage systems.

Andres Patrignani & Romulo Lollato, KSU

The Canopeo app can be used to better manage cattle grazing in dual purpose wheat systems common in the southern Great Plains. In the first part of the webinar, Dr. Patrignani will describe the history, user guidelines, applications, and limitations of Canopeo. In the second part of the webinar, Dr. Lollato will describe management principles of dual purpose wheat pastures and how to optimize pasture grazing using the Canopeo application.

Andy Cole, Retired USDA-ARS
The nutrient composition of grazed forages frequently does not meet the nutrient requirements of the grazing animals. For example, winter forages are frequently low in protein and digestible energy whereas winter/spring grazed wheat has an excess of protein. Supplementary protein and/or energy generally improve forage utilization, increase carry capacity, and increase animal performance; and reduce greenhouse gas emissions per unit of gain.

Jaymeylynn Farney, Kansas State University

G​rowing cover crops offers potential benefits, including improved soil health, but some crops can pose a danger to foraging livestock. Those contemplating this decision should know that some plants that work well as cover crops may not be suitable for forage or grazing.

Webinar participants can expect to learn:

• dangers associated with grazing some cover crop species, and
  
• ways to manage potentially toxic forage crops.

Jaymelynn Farney, Kansas State University

Growing cover crops offer potential benefits, including improved soil health, but these crops can be expensive to establish and manage. Establishment and management costs can be recovered by integrating crop and animal production and grazing cover crops as forage.

Webinar participants can expect to learn:

• cover crop types and their forage production potential; and
  
• best utilization of these crops for cow herd or stocker grazing.