The University of Missouri Extension announced on Apr. 21 that it will host three two-day Feedlot Schools in January and February, offering cattle producers practical training on retaining calves longer in Missouri to capture more value through backgrounding and finishing. The schools are organized in partnership with MFA Incorporated, which will also contribute to the educational sessions.
The program is designed to help producers adapt to current market conditions by focusing on backgrounding as a method to add value to beef calves. “Backgrounding is a low-hanging fruit to add value to beef calves in the current market,” said Eric Bailey, state beef nutrition specialist at the University of Missouri Extension. “We are expanding the school because producers asked for practical training that connects the dots from weaning and receiving, all the way through finishing and marketing cattle on the grid.”
This year’s schools include an expanded agenda with Day 1 dedicated entirely to backgrounding, covering facility design, low-stress handling, nutrition management, post-weaning calf health linked with pen design and stocking density, financing options, risk management strategies, and benchmarking costs for competitive advantage. Day 2 shifts focus toward finishing cattle with sessions on facility upkeep, bunk management nutrition practices, finance topics specific to feeding operations, grading fed cattle for pricing differences between live sales versus carcass grid marketing methods, a packer question-and-answer session and a feedlot tour.
Registration details vary by location: while one event scheduled for Jan. 21 has been cancelled (alert issued), upcoming events will be held Feb. 4-5 at the University of Missouri Beef Research and Teaching Farm in Columbia (registration link), and Feb. 18-19 at Cornett Research Farm in Linneus (registration link). Each day costs $100 per participant.
MFA supports profitable and sustainable farming practices intended to strengthen rural communities according to its official website. As a farmer-owned cooperative serving more than 45,000 owners across Missouri and neighboring Midwest states according to its official website, MFA provides agronomy services as well as livestock nutrition solutions while aiming for economic benefits through collective purchasing and selling according to its official website. Governance is provided by a board of fourteen elected farmers who represent owner interests according to its official website.
Bailey encouraged interested parties seeking more information about curriculum or registration logistics for these events—designed both for new entrants into feedlot operations or those looking for advanced knowledge—to contact him directly or reach out via Brian Bartels at MFA Incorporated.
