By Blake Jackson
With cattle prices reaching highs, profit margins remain narrow, making strong management practices essential for successful finishing operations. To help producers navigate today’s challenges, UW-Madison Extension regional educators and specialists are hosting a Cattle Feeders Workshop focused on timely and practical topics.
The program will begin with a session on optimizing corn silage quality from harvest through feeding. Dr. Luiz Ferraretto, Ruminant Nutrition Extension Specialist, will discuss strategies to reduce storage losses and explain how poor silage management can negatively affect feed efficiency and animal performance.
Ryan Sterry, Regional Livestock Educator, and Bill Halfman, State Beef Outreach Specialist, will lead a presentation on handling facilities for finishing cattle. They will cover key considerations for designing facilities that promote safe and efficient cattle movement.
While facilities do not need to be costly, they must be functional. Attendees will receive practical guidance on improving, remodeling, or building layouts that enhance workflow and safety.
Sterry and Halfman will also introduce UW Extension budgeting and decision-making tools developed to help beef producers evaluate cattle finishing enterprises and make informed financial choices.
Dr. Brenda Boetel, UW-Madison Extension Livestock and Grain Market Specialist, will provide a 2026 market outlook for livestock and grains.
The workshop will take place on March 24 at the Chippewa County Courthouse in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m., with the program starting at 5:45 p.m. Participants who are BQA certified will earn one continuing education credit. Register by March 16 by calling 715-232-1636.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-erdinhasdemir
Categories: Wisconsin, Education, Livestock, Beef Cattle