By RYAN McGEENEY | U of A System Division of Agriculture 

HOPE — While several weeks of relatively cool, wet weather may have distanced the memory of this summer’s drought conditions across much of the country, experienced cattle and forage producers know there’s no guarantee tough times won’t return.

Though the rain has eased the dry conditions, nearly two-thirds of Arkansas still had some form of drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s Sept. 15 update.

This year’s Beef & Forages Field Day, scheduled for Oct. 28 at the Southwest Research and Extension Center in Hope, will address drought impacts on the cattle market, nutritional considerations in forage and more. The center is part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s research arm, the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.

The event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m., with lunch provided. There’s no cost to attend, but registration is required. To register, visit https://bit.ly/SWREC_Cattle_Field_Day_2022 or call 870-777-9702 no later than Oct. 25.

Daniel Rivera, associate professor and SWREC director, said attendees will “have the opportunity to tour facilities and pastures to hear ways to reduce hay waste and how to utilize annual forage plantings to extend grazing as you see these management strategies in practice.”

Speakers include James Mitchell, livestock economist for the Division of Agriculture; Shane Gadberry, cattle nutritionist and director of the agricultural experiment station’s Livestock and Forestry Station at Batesville and more. Additional topics include minimizing hay waste, an overview of the research topics at SWREC and a tour of the pastures and facilities.

The Southwest Research and Extension Center is located at 362 Highway 174 North in Hope.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.