Extension
It Starts With Us
Beef Cattle Production
Production Agriculture
M. Chadwick
Ag Water Quality Program
Beef
Forages
Sustainable Agriculture
There are over 40,000 beef cattle producers in Kentucky and over one million head of beef cows. Kentucky is the eighth largest beef state in the U.S. and has the largest herd east of the Mississippi River; Kentucky ranks third for beef cattle density (cows per square mile) in the US. Even with profitable prices it is important to educate beef producers on best management practices to: keep costs down, optimize income through management and marketing, be good stewards of the land and practice good animal welfare. These educational programs are targeted to assist our local Agriculture and Natural Resource agents to provide Kentucky beef producers with the tools necessary to be profitable and sustainable.
-Improved farm economic status
- Increase the sustainability and long term viability of the farm opperation
-Producers save money by making better selection decisions.
-Improved herd quality
-Increased profits of operation
-Implmentation of rotational grazing system.
-Implement practices to control the breeding season and enhance production efficiency
-Test forage, hay, and concentrated feeds for nutritional quality
-Utilize a complete mineral supplement program at all times
-Make EPD and selection decisions
-Implement practices to perform examinations of pelvic areas, reproductive tract scores, AI, pregnancy diagnosis, and/or animal evaluation
-Understanding of basic roational gerazing system
-Gain knowledge of the beef industry and information and tools to succeed in beef production
-Interpret forage analyses, feed and mineral bag tabs and to balance rations.
-Operate a computer program to balance rations.
-Increase awareness of the following practices:reproduction, genetics, nutirtion, health, end product, general herd management, economics and marketing, physiology of forage growth, grazing math, shade and water, parisite control, animal health and disorders from forage, rotational grazing systems, tempoary fencing, and forage types for grazing systems.
Initial Outcome: Gain knowledge of the beef industry and information and tools to succeed in beef production
Indicator: Adoption of basic adjustments
Method: One on One conversations and interactions
Timeline: 2016-2017
Intermediate Outcome:Test forage, hay, and concentrated feeds for nutritional quality
Indicator: Increased number of sample submitted
Method: Comparison to numbers of test submitted over timeline
Timeline: 2017-2018
Long-term Outcome: Increase the sustainability and long term viability of the farm operation
Indicator: Adoption of major practice adjustments such as rotational grazing, AWQ BMPs, forage improvement programs, and Herd improvement programs.
Method: One on one conversations
Timeline: 2018-2020
Audience: Cattle Producers
Project or Activity: Master Cattleman
Content or Curriculum: 10 sessions @ 4 hours ea.; Lecture & Hands-on basic principle topics: visual selection, AI, pregnancy palpation, cattle handling, vaccination techniques, etc.; occurs as regional multi-county groups every other year
Inputs: UK Beef Specialists,County Agents,Volunteers,Program materials,Locations to host programs,Program Partners/Sponsors,Program materials/handouts/ presentation material, Equipment/Computer/ Projector, Kentucky Beef Network
Date: Fall 2017/Winter 2018
Audience: Cattle Producers, Hay Producers, Horse Producer, Small Ruminent Producers
Project or Activity: KY Grazing School
Content or Curriculum: Ky Grazing School Curriculum
Inputs: UK Beef Specialists,County Agents,Volunteers,Program materials,Locations to host programs,Program Partners/Sponsors,Program materials/handouts/ presentation material, Equipment/Computer/ Projector, Kentucky Beef Network
Date: Spring/Summer 2017
Audience: Producers, Farm Managers, Certified Crop Advisors, Private Agronomist, County Agents, Ag Retailers, Farm Workers, Industry Reps. General Public, Point of Sale Employees
Project or Activity: Quarterly Newsletter, Monthly Newspaper Articles
Content or Curriculum: Timely Information
Inputs: UK/KSU College of Ag Professionals, Publications, Research information, State and Federal Organizations
Date: 2017-2018
Audience: Cattle Producers
Project or Activity: Calloway County Cattlemen Meetings
Content or Curriculum: Researched based speaker and publications
Inputs: UK/KSU College of Ag Professionals, Publications, Research information, State and Federal Organizations
Date: Bi-Annually 2016-2020
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Author: Matthew Chadwick
Major Program: Forages
Forage Demo plotsThis past summer the Calloway County Extension office assisted local beef producer Odom Farms in hosting a warm season summer annual demonstration plot. Odom Farms is a participant in the state wide Beef IRM program that assist farmers increase their reproductive profitability, they are currently the only participants in the purchase region. Upon the initial evaluation of their cowherd it was determined that they needed to increase their body condition scores significantly over
