Nebraska Grazing Conference 2024

By Jerry Volesky

Make plans now to attend the 2024 Nebraska Grazing Conference on Tuesday, Aug. 6 and Wednesday, Aug. 7 at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney, Nebraska.

A field tour kicks off the conference from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6 at the Platte River Prairies, south of Wood River.  Grassland soils and soil health will be the focus of this field activity. There is no fee to attend the field tour.

The formal part of the conference will begin Tuesday afternoon with recognition of the Trumler Ranch, who was the 2023 Leopold Conservation Award winner. The focus of the afternoon program will be on soil health and grasslands, with speakers covering soil health measurements, carbon markets, grassland productivity and grassland stability.

On Tuesday evening, we will host a banquet with Dr. Ray Ward as the featured speaker. Ward will reflect on a career in soils and plant quality analysis.

The Wednesday morning session on Aug. 7 will be devoted to grassland wildlife.

Sponsor and exhibitor booths will showcase new programs, equipment, and products to conference participants.

For more information and to register for the field tour and conference, visit the Nebraska Grazing Conference site.

Mid-season Forage Check

By Ben Beckman

As we move through mid-summer, it’s time to evaluate our forage situation, even if we are a bit busy. Depending on your location, meadow hay harvest might be starting, you could be on your second cutting of alfalfa, or preparing to cut warm-season annual crops soon.

Now is a great time to assess your forage inventory. Most perennial grasses have completed their growth, and multiple alfalfa cuttings should be done. Even if not all meadow hay and summer annuals are harvested, we can estimate our total yield for the year.

Ask yourself: Does our current yield meet our winter feed needs? If not, consider options like late planting of summer annuals or fall forages like oats for grazing. Be cautious with plantings for fall hay harvests, however, due to drying challenges.

If you have excess hay, consider how to best manage it. Whether selling or storing, prevent quality loss by keeping hay dry. Store it under a roof or tarp if possible, elevate it from the ground, line bales with the topography and sun, and ensure good airflow around bales to maintain quality.

Finally, if you haven’t done so, send in hay samples for quality testing. Hay quality varies year-to-year, even from the same field. Testing helps us match hay to livestock needs or set appropriate selling prices.

Assessing forage stores now, while plants are still growing and hay is being harvested, helps close forage gaps, manage surplus and ensure quality use later.

Stable Fly Management in Pastures

By Samantha Daniel

Despite their name, stable flies can be a significant annoyance and cause economic losses in pastured cattle, not just those confined in feedlots and dairies. With the recent moisture much of Nebraska has received, conditions are favorable for significant stable fly numbers.

The stable fly is similar in size to a house fly but is dark gray with irregular dark spots on the abdomen. The proboscis, or mouthpart, sticks out from the head bayonet-style. Both sexes require a blood meal, generally twice a day, and feed on the legs and belly of cattle. As few as four flies per leg can cause economic losses stemming from reduced average daily gain. After feeding, stable flies will seek out a shaded resting area in windbreaks, on windmill towers, or near water tanks.

Signs of a stable fly infestation will be seen in various cattle behaviors that include tail flicking, skin twitching, leg stamping, and standing in water. Cattle may also bunch together in pasture corners which may damage forage and could cause blowouts on fragile soils.

The most common treatment option is an animal spray such as Co-Ral, Prolate, or products containing permethrin or natural pyrethrins. These products can be applied using a low pressure or mist blower sprayer. Other options include targeting stable fly resting sites while avoiding water tanks and other water sources; or reducing larval development by cleaning spillage and waste around hay rings or using a larvicide (Neporex®).

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