BROOKINGS, S.D. - In an effort to provide cattle feeders and producers the opportunity to view a variety of cattle feeding facilities and practices, Warren Rusche, SDSU Extension Beef Feedlot Management Specialist, in collaboration with the South Dakota Cattle Feeders Council, an affiliate of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, have coordinated a feedlot tour July 19-20.
“The sites chosen for this tour represent a cross-section of housing systems and management strategies,” said Rusche. “One of our goals was to demonstrate the variety of options available and to highlight that cattle can be fed successfully in South Dakota.”
The tour bus will leave from the Mitchell Technical Institute parking lot at 7:30 a.m. on July 19 and return late in the afternoon on July 20.
There are two registration options, both including meals. Those who prefer to travel with the tour group on the bus can register for $100. Whereas those wishing to drive their own vehicle can register for the tour only for $50.
Group lodging with the tour is available for single or double occupancy for $130 at Lazy J Grand Lodge and the Antler Ridge Lodge located near Ideal and Hamill, South Dakota. For participants traveling independently from the tour group, a block of rooms is available at the Holiday Inn Express in Winner, South Dakota.
“The sites chosen for this tour represent a cross-section of housing systems and management strategies. One of our goals was to demonstrate the variety of options available and to highlight that cattle can be fed successfully in South Dakota.”
Tour Locations
Day 1: Tuesday, July 19
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Reisch Farms – Howard: The first stop on the tour uses a bedded-pack hoop barn along with outside yards for backgrounding and finishing cattle. The Reisch’s were one of the early adopters of vegetative treatment areas as a technique to mitigate environmental impacts.
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Firesteel Ranch – Wessington Springs: The Burg Family feedlot uses a combination of open pens and a 600-head slatted floor barn to optimize labor and cattle performance.
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Pazour Family Feeders - Pukwana: The Pazour family constructed an open yard facility to accommodate the next generation joining the family business. Pazour’s emphasize controlling drainage and minimizing weather impacts on cattle performance.
Day 2: Wednesday, July 20
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Jorgensen Land and Cattle - Ideal: Highlights of this stop include bull development facilities and how cattle feeding integrates with their farming and seedstock enterprises.
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Winner Circle Feeders – Winner: Winner Circle is a commercial feedlot that handles a mixture of company and customer owned cattle. Features of this open-pen facility not commonly seen in South Dakota are steam-flake corn processing and micro-machine supplement delivery technologies.
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Lakeview Colony – Lake Andes: The Lakeview Hutterite Colony focuses on Piedmontese genetics using confinement barn facilities for both the cow-calf and cattle feeding aspects of their business.
Sponsors of the tour include Zoetis, Farm Credit Services, Merck, Dakota Ethanol, Elanco and First Dakota National Bank.
Registration
Registration is available at the Feeder Council Tour website. For additional information, contact Warren Rusche, SDSU Extension Beef Feedlot Management Specialist, at 605-688-5452 or warren.rusche@sdstate.edu, or John Reisch, Feeder Council Chair, at 605-360-5845.
