Welcome
The Nebraska Ranch Practicum is a three-season, hands-on educational program designed to give participants the skills and education needed in today's complex ranching industry.
Camaraderie and exchange of ideas among participants, instructors and facilitators are among the most valued aspects of this University of Nebraska— Lincoln Extension program. Participants of the program also receive high-quality educational materials that include software, notebooks with laminated field guides and a collection of University publications.
In this program, participants will benefit from the cutting-edge research in range livestock production and marketing at the University of Nebraska— Lincoln Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory, a nationally recognized research and education facility.
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"The Nebraska Ranch Practicum is by far the most valuable of any Extension educational program I have been involved with."
– Homer Buell, Rose, Nebraska, rancher and past president of the Nebraska Cattlemen
Key Areas of Focus
Grazing Strategies and Systems
Methods of Managing Market Risk
Calving and Weaning Dates
Feed Rations and Seasonal Mineral Supplements
Cull Cow Management
Winter Livestock Nutrition
Learning Objectives
- Develop plant identification skills
- Determine range condition and monitor wildlife habitat
- Formulate grazing strategies based on natural resource management and livestock production objectives
- Identify what grazing system will best accomplish your goals
- Optimize grazing management utilizing grazing response indices
- Estimate individual and herd-average cow condition scores.
- Discover how range and meadow forage meet animal requirements for maintenance and growth
Nebraska Ranch Practicum Systems Approach
Natural resources, livestock management and economic reality are integrated through the Nebraska Ranch Practicum.
Participants will have the opportunity to track feed inventory changes through three seasons, learn to manage market risk, understand ways to defer or limit price risk with instruments such as LRP, forwarding contracting, retained ownership, options and hedging, and alternative cull cow marketing systems. Methods for mitigating the effects of drought will be discussed and you will learn about decision tools that you can apply to your operation.
Take-home assignments will focus on use of computer decision aids including feed cost comparisons, cull cow marketing options, feeder calf and yearling break-even analysis. The economics of herd replacement methods, buy versus raise will be demonstrated and provided as an Excel sheet. The value and cost of hay quality and quantity will be addressed by routine observation and calculation of fertilizer and harvest management of subirrigated hay meadows from June through the month of September.
