Dairy Beef Short Course

The I-29 Moo University and the Northern Plains Forage Association Forage Webinar Series continues on Thursday, December 4 from 7 to 8:30 pm CST with a variety of forage topics including an overview of methods to determine hay supply needs, the decision process to decide if you should quit making hay and a market outlook.

Presenters in December include:

Denise Schwab has spent the past 42 years working for Iowa State University Extension, most of that as a beef specialist based in eastern Iowa. She earned her Bachelors degree in Animal Science at Iowa State University as well as her Masters. She will discuss calculating your forage needs considering intake factors, species and body weights.

Carson Roberts is an Assistant Professor and State Extension Specialist for Forage Agronomy at the University of Missouri. Roberts holds a Ph.D. in Plant and Soil Science from Mississippi State University. He leads an applied research program on forage-livestock systems to support one of the largest beef herds in the U.S. He has a particular interest in regenerative systems that improve drought resiliency. His presentation will suggest four alternatives that could be more economical than growing hay for your animals.

Josh Bendorf is a Climate Outreach Specialist with the Wisconsin State Climatology Office, based at UW-Madison. He has held this position since March 2025. Prior to his time at the SCO, Josh worked for Pheasants Forever and the USDA Midwest Climate Hub. Josh holds a BS degree from UW-Madison and MS degree from Iowa State University. Josh's interest in weather and climate comes from his upbringing on a small dairy and cash crop farm in southwestern Wisconsin. He will offer his insights on the 2025 growing season with an early look at 2026 weather.

There is no fee to participate in the webinar; however, registration is required at least one hour prior to the webinar. Register online at: 

https://go.iastate.edu/FORAGEDEC2025

The December 17 Beef on Dairy Dialogue webinar will feature Dr. Alfredo DiCostanzo, University of Nebraska- Lincoln discussing, “How much fiber do the rumens of BXD cattle need?” The webinar will be from 12-1 p.m. CT.

Ruminants evolved consuming mainly forage diets. Yet, the seasonal abundance of grains, tubers and high-sugar content forages likely exposes cattle to diets low in roughage, at least for some time. The incidence of liver abscesses in non-grain fed cull beef cows or in wild populations of cattle suggests that cattle may be over-consuming grazing or browsing highly fermentable feed sources.

On the other hand, feeding high-energy diets to cattle finishing in feedlots is a practice supported by biological and economic efficiency drivers. This practice extended to feeding dairy-system-derived steers long before beef crossbreeding in dairies began. In dairy- breed or beef x dairy crossbred feedlot cattle, this practice generally occurs from the moment calves arrive at the feedlot and is sustained until harvest date; a period of 300 to 400 days.

Thus, it is relevant to ask the question: How much fiber do the rumens of beef x dairy cattle need? Evidence from previous work in creating an acidotic challenge or in cattle fed 100% concentrate diets demonstrated that cattle are extremely resilient to no-roughage diets.

Intercepts of equations derived from meta-analysis where gain or intake were regressed on dietary neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentration (including forage-derived or effective) are greater than zero. This demonstrates that roughage is not essential for intake or gain in feedlot cattle.

However, consideration should be given to greater roughage inclusion as chronic roughage deficiency may challenge the immune system. So, the answer to this question should consider whether there is an optimized approach that leads to greater profitability and sustainability in beef x dairy feedlot cattle.

There is no fee to participate in the webinar; however, registration is required at least one hour prior to the webinar. Register online at:

https://go.iastate.edu/DAIRYRATIONS