AGRONOMY
Mid-County attends Carver County Dairy and Beef Expo
By Owen Elle Staff Writer
The Carver County Dairy and Beef Expo took place on Feb . 19 at Central Elementary School in Norwood Young America .
Mid-County was represented by its agronomy staff at the annual event . Alex Klaustermeier , John Morrison and Steve Salz were on hand to speak to long time and potential customers .
The event was hosted by the University of Minnesota Extension-Carver County and Carver County Ag Initiatives . The expo opened at 9 a . m . with a trade show that lasted the entire length of the event .
Beef quality assurance training began at 9:45 a . m . and was presented by University of Minnesota Extension Educator Dr . Joe Armstrong . He graduated from the University of Minnesota-College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015 . After veterinary school , he worked as a private practitioner with beef and dairy farms at Anderson Veterinary Service in Zumbrota .
Armstrong is currently the Cattle Production Systems Extension Educator where he focuses on educational programming for beef and dairy producers across the state .
Three sessions of speakers started at different locations across the school at 10:30 a . m . Bongard ’ s Milk Procurement and Field Service Manager Tom Beringer delivered a presentation on the prices of milk , University of Wisconsin Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist Luiz Ferraretto delivered a presentation on the feeding behavior of cows , and a dairy beef farmer and extension panel held a session on breed selections and management considerations .
Ferraretto , a native of Brazil , earned degrees from Sao Paulo State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison .
His research interests are applied cattle nutrition and management with emphasis on starch and fiber utilization by dairy cows , corn silage and high-moisture corn quality and digestibility , the use of alternative byproducts as feed ingredients , and supplementation of feed additives in lactating cows .
PHOTO BY OWEN ELLE Alex Klaustermeier , John Morrison , and Steve Salz represented Mid-County Coop at the expo .
Beringer , who grew up on a dairy farm five miles west of Glencoe , worked at Glencoe Butter and Produce from 1988 until its merger with AMPI in 1999 . He then worked for AMPI until the plant closed in 2004 , where in the same year he started his current position at Bongards .
Dr . Chris Wolf , a professor of agricultural economics at Cornell University , delivered the keynote address in the atrium entitled “ Dairy economics and farm policy ”. In the presentation , Wolf discusses the dairy situation and outlook for the US in 2024 . Wolf received his PhD . at the University of California-Davis and taught farm business management for over 18 years at Michigan State University .
A lunch break ensued from 12:30 to 2 p . m . before another trio of sessions occurred . University of Wisconsin Extension Beef Outreach Specialist Bill Halfman delivered a presentation on feeding and managing dairy beef cross cattle from 400 pounds to finish . Topics discussed included feeding programs and rations , bunk management , pen management , and a recent Holstein trial .
Halfman transitioned to his current role in 2022 and before that was the Monroe County agriculture extension agent for 20 years . He has developed and presented beef production and management programs and workshops across Wisconsin and holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville . Wolf delivered a presentation entitled “ Deeper dive into dairy market programs ” and Ferraretto gave a repeat of his 10:30 a . m . session .
The expo had 38 vendors in attendance .
The next Carver County Dairy and Beef Expo is scheduled for Feb . 17 , 2025 .
Great Deals Good Through April 24 , 2024
COLOGNE
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