MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi beef producers who want to keep current on innovative herd health and profitability research can attend the Beef and Forage Field Day on Oct. 24 in Prairie.

The field day will be at the Prairie Research Unit of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. Registration begins at 8 a.m. at the main facility at 10223 Highway 382. There is no cost to attend, and lunch will be provided. Field day sponsors are MAFES, Mississippi State University and the MSU Extension Service.

Program topics will cover various factors that affect animal health, reproduction, pasture management and production costs. Researchers will discuss the new agronomic lines of tall fescue grasses containing a novel endophyte free of organic compounds toxic to livestock.

“Results suggest that these new forages hold promise for cattle production in the South,” said MSU animal science assistant professor Holly Boland, who is based at the Prairie unit.

Researchers will discuss methods used to measure transportation stress in cattle and to reduce weaning stress on calves. MSU wildlife and fisheries faculty will discuss plans for researching native warm-season grass pastures for livestock, wildlife and ecosystems.

Field day participants will observe the demonstration beef herd being raised by Management Applications for Performance and Profitability, or MAPP, standards.

“Small herd producers may be interested in learning about MAPP because the demonstration herd is a prototype for small herd management,” Boland said.

Participants can take a hands-on pasture evaluation tutorial to learn appraisal techniques for grazing land and pastures. They will preview the new state-of-the-art GrowSafe Feeding Facility under construction at the unit. Researchers plan to use this facility to evaluate feed efficiency and diet selection trials, and observe behavior and environmental factors affecting beef production.

Contact Boland at (662) 369-4426 or htb32@msstate.edu for more information.

Writer: Patti Drapala