|
Conference Home
Schedule at-a-Glance
Education Program
Exhibiting & Sponsorship
The University Plaza Hotel
Springfield Missouri Convention & Visitors Bureau
Housing
The University Plaza Hotel in Springfield, Missouri has been selected for this year's conference. The AFGC rate is $99 King or Two Double; $119 King Suite. A limited number of rooms will be available to government agencies at the government per diem rate on a first come, first served basis. Must show valid government ID at check-in. For reservations, call 417-864-7333 and identify that you are with the American Forage and Grassland Council. The deadline is May 28, 2010, by 5 p.m.
Registration
PREFERRED - Select this link for convenient online registration. Or, click here for a manual Adobe PDF form you can print and then mail or fax in to AFGC.
|
Tour Information
AFGC offers professional tours (Tuesday, June 22) directly related to forages and grasslands. Full descriptions appear below. Be sure that you register for the proper tour when completing your registration. Following the tours, participants will be bused from their last stop to the location for Missouri Night Activities. Bus service will also be offered at the hotel for those attendees who choose not to participate in a tour.
Tour #1 - Hay Tour
Windy Ridge Farms (Clyde and Belinda Jones) – Marionville, MO
Clyde and Belinda Jones are primarily alfalfa and orchard grass hay producers. They focus on hay quality, having been the grand champion or reserve champion at the Ozark Empire Fair or Missouri State Fair six times since 2000. They are big believers in hay testing, all hay that is sold off the farm comes with a detailed hay analysis. They sell conventional small squares bales as well as big round bales wrapped as high moisture hay. They are always evaluating varietal differences and searching for the best hay varieties to use.
Jim & Byron Stine Farms – Clever, MO
Jim and Byron Stine Farms are also primarily alfalfa & cool season grass hay producers. Along with Clyde and Belinda Jones these two operations represent two of the best hay producing farms in southwest Missouri. Jim and Byron have also been either grand champion or reserve champion at the Ozark Empire Fair hay show 7 times since 2000. They use the hay show as a means of marketing their hay to customers. They are always striving to improve hay quality. Jim and Byron are former dairymen that know what it takes to produce top quality hay. They currently have several acres that are in the middle of renovating to Roundup Ready Alfalfa if the seed ever becomes available. They have traditionally marketed a significant amount of hay to horse producers. They also raise some of their own Haflinger horses as well as a beef cow operation.
Schallert Bros. Seed Company – Purdy, MO
It’s hard to come to Missouri without talking about fescue since it is the prevailing forage. Ralph and Curtis Schallert are one of the largest fescue seed producers in southwest Missouri. However, after the seed is harvested, they are left with hundreds of acres of low quality fescue stubble forage. They have developed a successful backgrounding operation because they have found a way to convert this low quality forage into a high quality feedstuff that will provide excellent gains for backgrounding cattle. Their secret is ammoniation. Ralph and Curtis were innovators in the field of ammoniating fescue stubble hay and have been doing it for over 20 years. In addition to ammoniating 1000’s of bales of their own fescue hay each year, Ralph and Curtis have been instrumental in helping their neighbors learn the ammoniation process. They use this converted high quality forage to background several hundred head of stockers each year.
Tour #2 - Beef Tour
Danny Biglieni Farms – Republic, MO
Danny Biglieni backgrounds approximately 850 head of heifers each year which he buys at 400 – 600 pounds and grazes until they are 750 to 800 pounds. One of the most unique things about Danny’s operation is he operates in the high rent district of the suburbs of the city of Republic. Even more amazing is that he rents 80% of his 850 acres of pasture. By securing many small acreage leases surrounding Republic he is able to use these leases as a rotational system moving different groups of heifers through the system. Danny is a very keen marketer and strives to manage his risk. He will often sell cattle he has bought the same week by utilizing the video market for future delivery.
Shiloh Land & Cattle Company – Mt. Vernon, MO
Darrel Franson takes keeping forage records to a new level. He keeps meticulous records and is always happy to show you how his cow days/acre has changed each time he adopted a new forage management practice over the last 25 years. He currently runs 76 Angus/Simmental fall calving cows, backgrounds their calves the next summer, and harvests all of his hay on only 140 acres. Darrel uses tumble wheels to cut the time it takes to make his once a day moves to only a few minutes. Last year this system produced 341 cow days/acre. Many of his pastures have been renovated from Kentucky31 fescue to a new novel endophyte variety. The fall calving cows are timed AI’ed and then heat detected for a second round of AI to increase the number conceiving AI and further improve his genetics. Many of Darrel’s beef cows are 4th or 5th generation AI bred. Darrel also uses the University Extension feedout programs to obtain data on his cows. Practically every cow in the herd has had offspring go through the feedlot. This way Darrel can use this information to promote his calves when they are marketed through the local auction facility. Darrel’s pride is his records and he will share a lot of information with you while on the tour.
University of Missouri Southwest Center Research Station – Mt. Vernon, MO
One of the most exciting research projects currently underway at this facility is a long term Residual Feed Intake (RFI) project to assess the genetic linkages of RFI in the mother cow herd. Most current RFI research has been conducted in the feedlot or at bull test stations, this projects extends that research to the pasture setting with the female cow herd. Consumption data is collected while the cows are on endophyte infected fescue pastures. Each of the Angus/Simmental cows are profiled as well as the bulls, then offspring are monitored for several generations. This project will provide valuable information into how to take RFI analysis to the next level in the female breeding herd.
Tour #3 - Dairy Tour
Charles Fletcher Farms – Purdy, MO
- Pasture-based
- Purchased the current farm in 2001. 260 acres, 235 effective. Leases adjoining 60 acres, 55 effective.
- Swing 22 parlor
- 320 cows in two mobs, uses three-way cross breeding program. Sixty percent calving in spring and 40 percent in fall.
- 3.83 FTE including family
Grasslands Dairy LLC – Wentworth, MO
- Pasture-based
- Sharemilker growing his business, in his 5th season
- 404 acres, 389 effective. Leases an adjoining 95 acres for young stock, wintering cows and raising corn silage. Self containment operation.
- Swing 40 parlor
- 575 cows, seasonal calving. Cross-bred herd.
- 3.0 FTE most of the year, additional help at calving and breeding
Networking Opportunities
AFGC provides a variety of ways for you to mix and mingle with your friends and associates on site at the conference. Two receptions, breaks, a luncheon and Awards Banquet are scheduled.
- Monday, June 21 - Opening Reception
- Tuesday, June 22 - Missouri Night at the Southwest Center
- Wednesday, June 23 - Lunch and Awards Banquet
Missour Night at the Southwest Center
Beverages sponsored by:
 
|
