1. PRODUCER PANEL

2. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR CONSULTANT? • Interviews with 6 producers, all very progressive. • Three have permitted lots and CNMP, size from 4000 to 12,000. • Three have lots under 1000 head and don’t need to do NMP.

3. SUMMARY • Make me money. • Save me money. • Make my life simpler. • Keep me legal.

4. CONSULTANTS, CROP AND FEEDLOT • Four areas popped up. • 1. everyone is doing • 2. some are doing but more is needed • 3. little available but potentially needed • 4. new on the scene

5. EVERYONE • Grid soil sampling • Reduce crop input costs • Manure analysis • Acreage histories • pH and lime recommendations

6. CNMP • Where required, it MUST be done by a professional.

7. SOME ARE DOING • Insecticide and herbicide rec. • Crop scouting and pest management • Isolate land where manure gets best return and show dollars • Use manure to upgrade soil nutrient profile and tilth

8. LITTLE AVAILABLE BUT MORE NEEDED • Corn variety recommendations, independent of what you sell • Really good manure analysis, history of them and application rates • Variable rate app. of manure • Hybrids best for cattle feed • Field by field budgets

9. NEW ON THE SCENE • NMP records, input forms, check on timeliness and accuracy, protection from error on NMP • COMPLETE management of NMP • Tillage practice effects on P index

10. DON’T HAVE ENOUGH OWNED LAND • Value of manure over commercial fert. • Planting oats for summer hauling, can it pay for my neighbor • Trade manure for corn stalk bedding • Selling manure by analysis • N in cattle manure, how much available and when

11. ALL SAID THIS • It must work for me, independent of commercial fertilizer. The focus must be on my operation only.

12. FEEDLOT CONSULTANTS

13. EVERYONE • Balance rations • Supplement recommendations • Focus on ration costs, performance and cost of gain • Ca:P ratios with coproducts

14. SOME ARE DOING • Nutrition and health tie together, Sulfur, and other micronutrients • Recommend how much coproduct to feed based on pricing • Water quality and availability

15. LITTLE AVAILABLE BUT MORE NEEDED • Time to look at cost of gain and not performance based on low cost ingredients • Tie farm and feedlot together tighter • Filter the mountain of info. coming out • Challenge with suggestions but priortize according to return potential

16. NEW ON THE SCENE • Using the extra P output to enhance value of manure, own or selling it • Ability to adjust rations quickly based on different analysis of coproducts, either from different plant or from plant problems

17. ALL SAID • The focus must be on my own bottom line