By Scout Nelson
Larson Ranch will host the Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) and Kansas State University (K-State) Ranch Management Field Day on August 21 near Leoti. The event will feature educational sessions, a ranch tour, and a free beef dinner.
One key topic will be the future of yield grading. With the current Yield Grade equation no longer accurately reflecting today’s cattle, beef industry experts are seeking a more precise system. A meat scientist from Texas Tech University will present promising research aimed at measuring or predicting red meat yield for individual animals. The session will also highlight new technologies and computing tools that could support future implementation of this improved system.
Another presentation will focus on bovine congestive heart failure, a fatal condition affecting cattle in the western Great Plains. Researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and USDA’s Meat Animal Research Center will discuss genetic factors linked to the disease.
They will explain specific gene markers associated with risk and how these may guide future breeding and management decisions. For some operations, losses from this condition now exceed $250,000 annually, surpassing those from respiratory illness.
Following these sessions, attendees will participate in a virtual ranch tour featuring facilities such as bull development pens, cattle handling areas, and calving barns. Visitors will then have the chance to walk through the facilities and ask questions.
The event begins with registration at 3:30 p.m. CDT and concludes with dinner at 7:00 p.m. CDT. All livestock producers and industry participants are welcome. Directions to the ranch from Leoti and Sharon Springs will be marked with signs.
August 28 field day will be hosted by Wells Ranch in Woodson County. Both events are sponsored by the Farm Credit Associations of Kansas and Huvepharma. For details, visit www.kla.org or call the KLA office at (785) 273-5115.
Photo Credit:gettyimages-dmytro-diedov
Categories: Kansas, Livestock, Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle