The Monthly Feedstuff - Welcome to the first issue of "The Monthly Feedstuff" + Winterizing your grazing system!

Welcome to the first edition of "The Monthly Feedstuff!" Our aim is to provide you with up-to-date information about all things livestock. We’ve had so much fun brainstorming how this newsletter can keep you informed and provide another space for communication.

We hope you enjoy the first edition and look forward to being back in your inbox next month!

-The Livestock Team

Winterizing your grazing system

‘Tis the season - for colder weather! Are you prepared?

Now that cold weather has arrived, it's important to make sure your grazing system is winterized. Here are some things to consider:

❄️Store fencing material & other important equipment inside or undercover

❄️ Shut off water and drain pipes where necessary

❄️ Assess forage inventory. Is there enough stockpiled? Is hay needed?

❄️ If bale grazing, set out bales

❄️ Prepare your winter feeding area. Should a windbreak be added? Is there proper drainage to avoid mud and protect water sources?

With proper winter prep and management, the grazing season can be extended, herd health can be maintained and equipment quality can be preserved.

Click here for winter watering ideas

PROGRAM UPDATES

Attention direct-to-consumer meat producers

We're partnering with the Good Meat Breakdown , a resource that builds resources and tools to support producers like you AND help you tackle your marketing challenges.

The Good Meat Breakdown will be offering free marketing assistance for direct-to-consumer meat producers. How? Good Meat Breakdown will bring your farm’s specific marketing needs to professional designers, photographers, chefs, and other experts, and will come back with tangible materials and technical guidance that you can use to grow your business.

We want to ensure our members benefit from this important and necessary initiative. Get started by taking this survey by Feb. 7!

PFI annual conference

The 2022 annual conference will take place on Jan. 21 and 22 in Ames, IA. A variety of livestock-focused sessions will be available. Check out the complete session offering to learn more about each session and its’ presenters.

Grazier’s Gear

Bolstering Pig Rations with Small Grains

New Poultry Processing Ventures in Iowa

Multiple Iowa lockers receive grants through USDA

Meat and poultry processing facilities across the country collectively received over $32 million in Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grants - 18 Iowa recipients are among this group. You can read the full list of grant recipients and their planned projects here.

This grant program is available to currently operational meat and poultry slaughter and processing facilities through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Learn more about available funding.

Join us for the Beginning Farmer Summit

Feb. 7 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Getting started in farming can be hard, but the right support and network can boost your chance of success.

Join us at the Beginning Farmer Summit to gain knowledge at your level and connect with other beginning farmers.

Find out more and register.

Dairy margin coverage program expanded for supplemental production

USDA Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) now allows producers to enroll supplemental production. Eligible dairies with less than 5 million pounds of established production history may enroll. The deadline to enroll is Feb. 18.

Learn more about DMC

BEYOND THE GATE

Research report: "Feeding Whey to Pastured Broiler Chickens"

Whey is a common byproduct of making dairy products from goats. It's also an excellent source of protein.

Carmen and Maja Black, Helaina Thompson and Carlos Williams of Sundog Farm & Local Harvest CSA, in Solon, Iowa, wondered if the whey produced on the farm could improve broiler chicken growth when offered as a supplement to the chickens’ feed.

Read the full research report.

How virtual fence helps the transition to regenerative agriculture

Read this blog post from Nofence on how virtual fencing has the potential to ease the transition between conventional and regenerative livestock production.

Christer Baltzersen and Monte Bottens will be presenting on this virtual fence technology at PFI’s annual conference in the session Virtual Fence: A Solution for Graziers, Animals and Soil?

Research report: "Winter Feed Monitoring on a Grass-Fed Cattle Farm"

Dave and Meg Schmidt, owners and operators of Troublesome Creek Cattle Co. in Exira, IA, worked with PFI’s Cooperator’s Program to research how to extend their grazing season into winter.

Over four years of tracking feed intake showed the importance of stockpiled pasture and multiple forage sources. Read the full research report here.

From Laos to Iowa: Air Philavanh, livestock and community

Phrakhounmany "Air" Philavanh farms on 11-acres near Milo, IA raising a diversity of livestock and crops. His goal is to re-create a simple Laotian farm, applying lessons from his grandfather, in order to showcase history and farmer ingenuity alongside the American practices he’s learned.

Click here to learn more about our livestock farmers