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: 2016-2019
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: 2017-2020
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 2020
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 2019
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: 2017-2019
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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Content or Curriculum:
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Author: Matthew Chadwick
Major Program: Beef
Cattlemen's group met in the fall to discuss how to increase attendance at beef cattle related extension programs in Calloway County, normal attendance was running around 15 people. The group brain stormed about new topics and time of year for hosting meetings, and how to market those programs. The first meeting of 2020 that implemented those plans saw an increase in attendance of 200%. We are also hosting our first regional program in February and a state wide field day in the summer.
Author: Matthew Chadwick
Major Program: Beef
The Regional Cow Calf Conference was hosted by the majority of the counties in the purchase and western half of the pennyroyal, the response of the producers present was overwhelming in both quantity and quality. Of the 47 producers present there was over 3200 head of mama cows represented, they indicated that they all learned something that would cause them to implement change in their farming operation.
Author: Matthew Chadwick
Major Program: Beef
In February of 2020, beef producers from Marshall, Calloway, Graves and Livingston counties participated in a two-part Bull Value Assessment Program or "BVAP." This University of Kentucky Extension Program encourages producers to reevaluate how they make bull buying decisions. Navigating complicated sale catalogs and evaluating Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) can be difficult and the auction itself can be very intimidating. The BVAP program provides a no risk, worry free environmen
