Author: Gregory Comer
Major Program: Beef
Over the last 5 years, over $500,000 have been invested in agricultural improvement /diversification projects in Ohio Co., thru the County Agricultural Investment Program (CAIP). These funds are balanced by producer investments in these projects, in the amount of about $2.5 million. The top five areas of improvement by producers are: Cattle handling facilities, water distribution improvement, expansion/improvement of fences
Author: Thomas Mann
In 2021, the USDA estimated that there were 6,100 head of cattle and calves in Carroll County, and in 2017, sales of cattle and calves from Carroll County were valued at $2,379,000, constituting 41% of total agricultural sales in the county. Needless to say, the cattle industry is a cornerstone of agricultural production of Carroll County, and the Carroll County Cattlemen’s Association is an important group within the community for promoting beef production.The Carroll County Cattle
Author: Katherine VanValin
The 2022 Beef Efficiency Conference was held for the first time in-person following the pandemic. This is a joint effort between University of Kentucky Beef Extension specialists and agents, and the Kentucky Cattleman's Association. Attendance was strong with an estimated audience of 150-175 from 29 counties across the state. This program provides attendees an opportunity to listen and learn from experts from across the United States. This is likely the only time participan
The UK Forage and Beef Groups have recently completed a major update of the national publication Alfalfa for Beef Cows. This effort was in cooperation with the National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance. Alfalfa for Beef Cows provides producers in KY and around the country with a comprehensive guide to utilizing alfalfa in beef cattle pasture, hay and silage systems. It includes recent history of the crop, growth and agronomic management, forage quality, nutrition balancing, management tips to reduce
Author: Jeffrey Lehmkuhler
Author: Rebecca Konopka
According to the Ag Census, 68% of Carter County’s agriculture economy is from livestock production and there are over 11,000 head of beef cattle in the county. Over the past year, the Agriculture and Natural Resource Agent for Carter County reached over 100 beef producers via programs, newsletters, farm visits, social media, and personal communications. In addition to local YouTube videos and five BQCA trainings, the Northeast Area Livestock Association met nine times between May 2
This conference is a joint effort between the University of Tennessee and the University of Kentucky. In 2022 the conference was held virtually on Feb 23rd, and focused on baleage production, grazing management, and stocker health research. The 2022 MSSC had 150 attendees (8 panelists/speakers, about 50 Extension personnel, and around 90 producers). There were 32 survey responses. Total cattle numbers reported by attendees included 1,387 brood cows and replacement heifers, 3,051 back
Author: Jessica Barnes
We have been having an annual Beef Day in Harrison County for several years now and this year was the most well attended event yet. We had 12 vendor booths that were all related to the beef industry as well as our local Cattleman's Association that was setup cooking burgers and steak sandwiches. We were able to partner with Farm Credit Mid-America and Central Kentucky Ag Credit to be able to offer the meals at half price for our community as a thank you for supporting the beef industry in Ha
On November 13, 2021 Morehead State University, University of Kentucky, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension, and Shi-bah Zing-ga Yak farm co-hosted the first Kentucky Yak Husbandry Research Conference. The Carter County Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent assisted with planning, recruiting, facilitating, and cleanup of the event. A total of 33 participants and presenters were in attendance. Attendees traveled from Colorado, Wyoming, Illinois, New York, Tennessee
Author: Samantha Anderson
In conjunction with the Calloway County Cattlemen's Association, McCracken, Marshall and Calloway Agents for Agriculture and Natural Resources hosted a Heifer Development program for producers in the region. Heifer Development has become a profitable niche market for producers with high quality genetics wanting to capitalize on the investment of purchasing said genetics. In addition, the region has several producers interested in developing heifers for their own operation to reduce the need
Author: Joshua Jackson
Producers have been relying upon UK Cooperative Extension Service agricultural and natural resource agents for many decades to assist with crop assessment (scouting, disease detection, yield impacts, etc.). Drones (or unmanned aerial systems) are a newer technology that have vastly increased the crop assessment efficiency as whole field can be visualized in real-time. Through the Charles E Barnhard Fund, post-processing capabilities for collected drone images were made available this past year t
Author: Brian Jeffiers
Safe and humane care of livestock is a high-profile issue in animal agriculture. For that reason, a number of entities require beef producers to complete the Beef Quality and Care Assurance certification in order to be eligible for various cost-share programs and other benefits. BQCA has historically been provided by extension agents at local events, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to in-person meetings, leaving farmers in need of another option. University of Kentucky specialists and Kentu
Author: Michelle Simon
The Master Finisher series was developed by UK Beef Extension Specialist, Dr. Katie VanValin, after the completion of the Freezer Beef Bootcamp for producers that were interested in larger scale freezer beef production to restaurants and stores. The driving interest in finishing and marketing beef locally was caused by the pandemic causing issues at feedlots and large processing plants therefore causing uncertainty and loss of income for cattle producers. Marketing beef independently and locally
Author: Kevin Laurent
Laurindale Farms is a father-son operation in south Christian County that established a small freezer beef trade approximately 10 years ago. In 2019 a local processor approached them with an opportunity to expand their finishing program from 30 head to 120 plus head annually. Soon after the expansion several problems were encountered. Cattle were not gaining consistently and slaughter weights were declining. Extension specialists and the local ANR agent addressed these i
This is a follow up to an initial outcome success story from 2020. In 2020, we worked with a producer to understand the cost of production for finishing cattle on their operation. Using their nutrition and management strategies at the time, new feed rations were developed that looked drastically cut feed costs for the producers and better utilized their available land, while maintaining their performance objective. Over the last two years we have worked with the producers to implement the new ra
The master finisher program is a new program that was offered for the first time in the fall of 2021. The goal of this program is to educate beef cattle producers on how to finish cattle on their operations, and options for marketing finished cattle or beef directly to the consumer. This is an area of beef production that has seen growth due to increased interest in the local food movement and was exacerbated by supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. This increased demand for loc
Campbell County agriculture largely consists of beef cattle and forage operations. In an effort to assist producers be more profitable and increase reproductive efficiency the Campbell County Extension Service has offered blood testing services for producers to test their cattle for pregnancy. The importance of pregnancy diagnosis in cattle is easily determined by the cost of production. On average, it takes approximately 10 round bales of hay per cow to carry a cow over the winter months in add
