Grazing Expo 2026 to Explore Lower Feed Costs and Better Cattle Nutrition
September 10, 2026
As cattle producers look for ways to improve profitability while maintaining herd performance, Montana State University Beef Extension Specialist Dr. Sam Wyffels says extending the grazing season and making better use of available forage can offer significant opportunities.
Wyffels, who works in MSU’s Department of Animal and Range Sciences, will be among the presenters at Grazing Expo 2026 in Billings, where he will discuss fall and winter cattle nutrition, supplementation strategies and the use of technology in livestock production.
One of his presentations, developed with Dr. Noah Davis, will focus on nutritional strategies for cattle grazing lower-quality forage during the fall and winter months.
“How are we meeting those animals’ nutrient requirements? And then, how do we stay productive on a lower-quality forage, essentially? Like, how do we keep these cows working for us as much as we can?” Wyffels said.
Davis will follow with a discussion of how supplementation strategies can influence grazing behavior and livestock distribution.
Wyffels says the research is especially relevant to producers throughout Montana and the West, where feed costs represent one of the largest expenses in cow-calf production.
“I think in Montana and throughout the West in general, grazing as long as we can has always been something that’s important to beef cattle producers,” he said. “Our feed costs are typically our highest costs. And how do we mitigate those feed costs and get animals to utilize grazing and forages as long as possible?”
However, he cautions that extending the grazing season must be balanced with the nutritional needs of the herd, particularly as cows move into winter and approach calving.
“We need to be careful that we’re meeting nutrient requirements, that we’re not putting ourselves or putting our animals in a negative energy balance going into winter and pre-calving conditions,” Wyffels said.
The presentation will examine protein supplementation and how producers can use it effectively while relying primarily on lower-quality pasture and rangeland forage.
Wyffels will also participate in a separate session with a rancher involved in MSU virtual fencing research. The discussion will highlight how researchers and producers partnered on a demonstration project to answer questions about creep grazing and its potential effects.
The project is one of several producer-based technology efforts Wyffels has worked on across the state, with an emphasis on finding practical solutions to questions ranchers face in their own operations.
With cattle prices offering cow-calf producers an opportunity to improve returns, Wyffels says careful management of feed resources could help strengthen margins without necessarily sacrificing production.
“There’s some potential for reducing some feed cost and not having a huge impact on your overall production and management, as long as we’re supplementing these low-quality forages with the right stuff and in the right way to get the best use of the resources available,” he said.
Wyffels says the goal is to provide producers with additional tools they can use to make informed decisions about nutrition, grazing management and technology while taking advantage of the resources already available on their ranches.
Grazing Expo 2026 is scheduled for September 10–13 in Billings, Montana. Learn more at www.montanaglc.org/expo.
Source: Western Ag Network
