Carver County Dairy and Beef Expo 2024

Join us on Monday, Feb. 19, at a new location – Central Elementary School.

The Carver County Dairy and Beef Expo trade show opens at 9 a.m., with the Beef Quality Assurance Certification (BQA) training offered at 9:45 a.m. The expo educational sessions begin with a great line-up of speakers at 10:30 a.m.

Schedule of events

• 9 a.m. – Registration and trade show begins
• 9:45 a.m. – Beef Quality Assurance Training
• 10:15 a.m. – Early bird drawing in Trade Show Arena
• 10:30 a.m. – Morning sessions
  • Session A – Beef on dairy: Breed selection and management considerations
  • Session B – Interpreting your milk check
  • Section C – Modulating cow performance and feeding behavior with high-quality corn silage
• 11:30 a.m. – Keynote address – Dairy economics and farm policy by Chris Wolf
• 12:30 p.m. – Enjoy lunch and trade show
• 2 p.m. – Afternoon sessions
  • Session D – Feeding and managing dairy beef cross cattle from 400 lbs to finish
  • Session E – Deeper dive into dairy market programs
  • Session F – Modulating cow performance and feeding behavior with high-quality corn silage
• 3 p.m. – Trade show closes
• 3:15 p.m. – Door prize drawing in Trade Show Arena

Session descriptions

Keynote

• Chris Wolf of Cornell University will be our keynote speaker. He will present “2024 Dairy Markets and Policy Outlook.” Wolf’s program stresses the effect of public policy on farm behavior and financial outcomes, aiming to focus on issues of current and future importance to farmers. As part of a deeper dive in the afternoon session, Wolf will also share the latest on the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) and other risk management tools fit into a dairy marketing plan. He will reference current data and updates about the milk marketplace to guide decision-making and risk management strategies.

Other sessions

• The “Beef on Dairy: Breed Selection and Management Considerations” panel discussion will feature Greg Moes of MoDak Dairy, Larry Dreier of Dreier Farms and Ryan Starry of University of Wisconsin Extension. Panelists will share their experiences and information on sire selection and feedlot management practices for beef x dairy cross cattle. The program brings timely, up-to-date information on this evolving enterprise to both dairy producers and feedlot operators on this evolving enterprise.
• Bill Halfman of University of Wisconsin will present “Feeding and managing dairy beef cross cattle from 400 lbs to finish.” Halfman will share the latest research on feeding and management of finishing animals for maximizing productivity and profitability.
• Tom Beringer, milk procurement and field service manager for Bongards Creamery, will present “Interpreting your milk check.” Tom will discuss how the milk price is determined, factors influencing the milk price and strategies to consider to balance pounds of milk and milk components.
• Luiz Ferraretto of University of Wisconsin will share how fiber content, physical form and fermentability influence feeding behavior, feed intake and overall cow metabolic response to corn silage in his presentation “Modulating cow performance and feeding behavior with high-quality corn silage.”
• A Beef Quality Assurance certification training will be offered at 9:45 a.m. by the University of Minnesota Beef Team.

Audience

Farmers, dairy farmers, beef farmers, students, ag professionals and anyone related to the ag industry

Cost

$15 includes meal.

Registration

Registration happens on the day of the event.