Conversing about critters at CREC

Last week, farmers and ranchers from across the country attended a two-day-long feedlot school hosted by the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center (CREC).

The CREC has been hosting the annual event for more than two decades, with the first one taking place in 1996. Karl Hoppe, CREC's Extension Livestock Systems Specialist, told the Transcript on Tuesday that the school is helping to promote more cattle feeding in North Dakota.

"Cattle feeding requires a lot of inputs and creates a lot of economic activity," he said. "... and North Dakota is low in livestock numbers compared to our neighboring states. We don't have as many cattle to feed in North Dakota as they do in South Dakota or Nebraska or even Texas ... so we started this school to show that we can feed cattle to finish in North Dakota."

However, the school has seen students from much farther away than just North Dakota. According to Hoppe, who's been working with the school since it first began in 1996, the CREC often has folks from Minnesota and Montana, and this year's class has attendees as far away as California and Missouri.

"It's a little bit of everyone," said Hoppe of the variety of people in attendance. "From young farmers to established farmers, to people that have been here twice, it's just a mix of everybody. We even had someone from Africa come one year."

On Wednesday, the class of roughly 30 farmers and ranchers attended lectures that focused on the many aspects of cattle feeding, which include manure and nutrient management, disease diagnosis, implant technologies, and much more. The class also broke out into smaller groups called "breakout sessions," where they participated in group activities.

The following morning, the class toured the feedlots at the CREC and drove down to Pipestem Feeders that afternoon, where they saw first hand how an established cattle feeding operation is conducted. Beyond learning about feedlots themselves, however, the class also learned about the budgeting and financing associated with cattle feeding.

All in all, it was an expansive educational experience for those lucky enough to attend. Early enrollment is encouraged, as the CREC is forced to limit the school to no more than 25-30 attendees, while those who didn't sign up in time are placed on a waiting list for the following year. This year's school was fully booked more than a month in advance according to Hoppe.

Those interested in taking part in next year's feedlot school should call (701) 652-2951 to get themselves on the waiting list. Attendees can expect great food, a welcoming atmosphere and a wealth of knowledge about feedlots.

"Thirty years ago people thought it was too cold to feed cattle here, and that's what everybody would have you believe," said Hoppe as he spoke on the benefits of cattle feeding in N.D. "... sure it's uncomfortable when cattle are outside, but if they're fed, and bedded and given wind protection, they actually gain and eat really well in North Dakota and in our cold weather."