Larson Ranch, owned by Brady and Kyla Larson, will host the August 21 Kansas Livestock Association (KLA)/Kansas State University Ranch Management Field Day near Leoti. Educational sessions will cover the future of yield grading and bovine congestive heart failure.
With the current Yield Grade equation no longer representative of the true red meat yield of today’s cattle, beef industry stakeholders are seeking a more accurate replacement. Texas Tech University meat scientist Dale Woerner will discuss new research currently demonstrating considerable promise for accurate measurement and/or prediction of red meat yield on an individual animal basis. He also will highlight advancements in technology and computing capacity and provide insight into the future of implementing a new system.
Brian Vander Ley from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and researchers with the USDA Meat Animal Research Center will be on hand to provide an overview of the genetic factors contributing to bovine congestive heart failure, an untreatable and fatal condition affecting cattle in the western Great Plains. For some operations, annual losses now exceed $250,000, surpassing those from respiratory disease. During this presentation, speakers will focus on the specific gene markers associated with the disease risk and their potential use in future breeding and management decisions.
Following these two sessions, Brady Larson will take attendees through a virtual tour of the ranch’s facilities, including the bull development pens, cattle working setup, calving barn and more. Participants then will have the opportunity to walk through the facilities and ask questions. The field day will begin with registration at 3:30 p.m. CDT and end with a free beef dinner at 7:00 p.m. CDT. All livestock producers and others involved in the business are invited to attend.
To get to the field day location from Leoti, travel west on KS-96 for about 9.5 miles. Turn right (north) onto County Road 3 and travel 13 miles, then take a left (west) on County Road C and travel 1 mile to the sale facility. Those coming from Sharon Springs should go south on KS-27 for about 14 miles, then turn left (east) onto Arrowhead Road and travel 11.5 miles. From there, turn right (south) onto County Road 3 and go about 2.5 miles, then turn right (west) onto County Road C and travel 1 mile to the sale facility. Directional signs will be posted.
Wells Ranch will host the August 28 field day south of Gridley in Woodson County. The Farm Credit Associations of Kansas and Huvepharma are sponsoring both events. For more information, go to www.kla.org and click on Events & Meetings or call the KLA office at (785) 273-5115. KLA is a trade organization representing the business interests of independent livestock producers at the state and national levels. Members of the association are involved in all segments of the livestock industry, including cow-calf production, backgrounding, cattle feeding, swine, dairy and sheep.
