FENCELINE WEANING FIELD DAY AT CRONIN FARM

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Join Dakota Lakes Research Farm to learn how fenceline weaning can reduce the stress of separation between calves and dams, leading to better outcomes. In addition, speakers Dan Forgey, Corey Cronin and Monty Cronin will discuss other livestock and grass management concerns, as well as cover crops and agronomy.

Where: 16051 W. Whitlock Rd., Gettysburg, SD 57442

When: Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, 1:00 – 3:30 p.m.

Topics will include:

  • Fenceline weaning basics
  • Vaccines
  • Feeding and supplements
  • Creep feeding
  • Heifer development
  • Steer marketing
  • Rations
  • Grazing management (pasture size, time in pasture, using polywire, water development)
  • Grazing cover crops
  • Cover crop water and fertilizer needs
  • Where cover crops fit in crop rotations
  • Managing covers on dryland

Getting there: From Highway 212, turn north on Highway 1804 and travel 4.3 miles. Turn west onto Whitlock Rd. for about four more miles, staying on the road as it turns south. The Cronin place is on the north side of the road, just before Whitlock Resort.

No registration is necessary. Contact Dakota Lakes manager, Sam Ireland, if you need special accommodations: sam.ireland@dakotalakes.com; 605-224-6357.

This work is supported through a cooperative agreement of the Dakota Lakes Research Farm and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

The USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Ample Wildlife

Just like people, wildlife needs food, shelter, and water not just to survive but to thrive. The farming practices we follow at Dakota Lakes nurture a robust ecosystem that provide for the needs not only of the deer and pheasants that are popular with local hunters and nature enthusiasts but also a diverse range of species that ideally keeps pests at bay naturally without the need for intensive pesticide intervention.

Healthy Food

Much of the nutrient acquisition in plants is mediated by microbes, so soils that are home to a rich diversity of microbial life are better equipped to provide plants with their required nutrition effectively and efficiently. Recent studies have shown foods, including meat, grown under regenerative farming practices contain higher levels of certain vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals than those grown under conventional farming practices. While the science behind these studies is complex and sample sizes are small and highly variable, preliminary results suggest that regenerative practices can enhance the nutritional profile of many of the foods we eat.

Clean Water

Carbon is one of the best water filters known to man, and regenerative farming practices like no-till, cover crops, and livestock integration help to maintain or even increase soil carbon levels. Plants serve as natural “carbon pumps,” bringing carbon in from the atmosphere by way of photosynthesis and feeding it to soil microbes in the form of exudates. In addition, plants take up and hold onto nutrients that are mineralized in the soil, so keeping living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible goes a long way to preventing nutrient runoff into local waterways.

Living Soils

By following diverse cropping rotations, keeping a living root in the ground as much as possible, integrating livestock, maintaining good soil armor, and keeping soil disturbance to a minimum, we are nurturing the soil microbiome and providing favorable conditions for the bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa, insects, earthworms, and other living creatures that call the soil their home. Just a teaspoon of healthy soil can contain billions of microbes and our goal is to promote a natural, balanced environment that allows them to thrive.