By Mike Surbrugg

msurbrugg@joplinglobe.com

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Economic issues will be front-and-center during the University of Missouri Southwest Center’s annual Field Day, set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12. The center is four miles southwest of Mount Vernon on Route H.

Many of the programs will focus on production issues, but economics will be tied to talks during forage, beef and dairy tours, said Richard Crawford, center superintendent.

One example will be a talk during the forage tour on the importance of producing or buying quality hay to supplement with corn to feed livestock rather than supplementing corn with forages. High corn costs have prompted to such changes.

Other forage talks will cover:

How residual feed intake measuring can impact pasture stocking rates.

How planting legumes in established fescue pastures can upgrade forage quality and lower the need for nitrogen fertilizer.

Fescue toxin decay in fescue hay.

A talk during the beef tour will address the impact of rising mineral costs in cattle operations.

Other beef topics include:

Feeding no corn to finishing cattle.

An update of a study that seeks to identify genetic secrets that enable some cattle to need less feed to gain weight.

An update on the Show-Me-Select Heifer program.

On the dairy tour, a talk will examine how dairy producers can cope with high grain prices and economic returns from grazing dairies. On these farms, cattle are moved to a different grazing paddock every 12 hours. Cows are provided grain only during milking and get more nutrients from highly managed forages.