Annual Faith Rancher’s Forum, Pen of Three Bull Showcase Feb. 7

Brookings – SDSU Extension, the City of Faith and area producers would like to invite you to attend the 36th Annual Rancher’s Forum and Second Annual Pen of Three Bull Showcase at the Faith sale barn on February 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The theme for the day is “Health, Nutrition and the Economics that tie them together.”

Adele Harty, SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist will begin the morning with a presentation on alternative feed sources and the considerations that need to be made when including them in a feeding program. Harty has worked for SDSU Extension since 2005. She earned her Master of Science Degree from North Dakota State University in Ruminant Nutrition, with a specific focus on cow/calf nutrition. She is located in the Rapid City Regional Extension Center.

Gary Sides, nutritionist with Pfizer Animal Health will then give a presentation on the relationship between nutrition and immunology. His talk will focus on the fact that it’s not as simple as giving calves a vaccination so they will be able to fend off diseases. There are many other factors, specifically nutrition that play a role in the success or failure of a vaccination program.

Sides has extensive beef industry nutrition experience, compiling 20 years with organizations such as Intervet / Hoechst-Russell Vet, Cargill Animal Nutrition and Moorman Manufacturing Company. Before putting his nutritional expertise to work for Pfizer and beef producers, Sides spent two years as a livestock extension specialist with Texas A&M University, located in Fort Stockton, Texas. Additionally, Sides was a research scientist with Utah State University. Based in Lima, Peru, he worked in the Andes Mountains above 14,000-feet elevation, studying the reproductive and nutritional characteristics of South American ruminants. He also taught at La Molina Agricultural University in Lima. Dr. Sides currently lives in Sterling, Colo.

To round out the program, Jack Davis, SDSU Extension Economics Field Specialist will tie it all together by talking about how the decisions producers make affect their bottom line. Strategic planning for family farms and ranches as well as financial analysis are major areas of interest for Davis. He spent his undergraduate years at South Dakota State University, where he graduated with a B.S. in Agricultural Business. He later earned a M.S. from the University of South Dakota in the area of Business Administration. Davis is based out of the Mitchell Regional Extension Center.

The other main event during the day is the Pen of Three Bull Showcase. This will take place in the sale ring from 12:30-2:30 p.m. with participants having an opportunity to preview bulls from area producers. This is a non-competitive show, just a chance for producers and current or potential customers to get together before bull sale season hits full swing. If you are interested in showing your bulls in the Pen of Three Bull Showcase, contact Ty Dieters 605-748-2404.

There will be a trade show set up as well as door prize drawings throughout the day.

The registration fee for the event is $10 per person and preregistration by Feb. 4 is strongly encouraged. To preregister, call the City of Faith Office at 605-967-2261. The meal is sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health.