Author: Carol Hinton
Major Program: Beef
FECRTProblemIt has always been a mystery to cattle producers if the de-wormers were working properly, unknown activity on de-wormers in cattle could be costing producers lost income. Calves not gaining weight, or poorly doing cows could wreak havoc on a farm. Breckinridge county joined the FECRT with Dr. Jeff Lehmkuhler and the grant they had received, by collecting manure samples from various farms across 3 counties. The deworming practices on each one of the farms ranged fro
Author: Kevin Laurent
The problem - To ensure the production of a safe and wholesome product for consumers, it is imperative that beef producers learn proper Beef Quality and Care Assurance (BQCA) techniques. Traditionally this educational curriculum has been delivered via videos and online modules. In recent years there has been interest from producers to learn these practices in a more hands-on manner, utilizing live animals when possible. The educational program response - A hands on BQCA Field Day was held a
Unweaned bawling calves are at high risk for increased mortality and morbidity when shipped from the farm of origin. By preconditioning calves prior to marketing, cow-calf producer can add value to calves by transitioning them through the weaning phase making them more resistant to disease and stress when shipped. Another benefit to preconditioning is the added weight gain and increased sale weight as compared to marketing directly off the cow.Advanced-PVAP is aimed at producers who h
Author: Katherine VanValin
The problem: Basic education for Kentucky's Beef Cattle Producers covering fundamental areas of beef cattle management and production continues to be a demand amongst the state's cattle producers. The educational program response- While Master Cattleman is not a new program, this program has not been offered since 2019-2020. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Master Cattleman program consisted of 8-10 in-person classroom sessions; however, given changes in preferences for att
Author: Emma Lee
When I attended the Beefing Up Agent Success training, Darrh Bullock gave a Beef Genomics presentation to the agents that were present. Throughout the presentation, I realized that this information could be very useful to my producers and I invited Dr. Bullock to come speak at a Beef Producers meeting in Estill County. On May 9th at 6:00, Dr. Bullock presented the Beef Genomics presentation to the local Cattlemen and beef producers. Participants learned how to read BPD's, as well as breed th
The problem - Agriculture teachers throughout the state have expressed a desire to learn more about beef cattle production and develop tools to better equip their students to work in the beef industry or continue their education and support the beef industryThe educational program response - This program allowed Agriculture teachers throughout the state to become BQCA (Beef Quality and Care Assurance) certified and receive resources to ultimately be able to train their students to beco
The problem: Basic education for Kentucky's Beef Cattle Producers covering fundamental areas of beef cattle management and production specifically as it relates to marketing cattle. The educational program response: The Master Cattleman Program - Marketing Session presents best management practices to enhance the marketability and value of primarily feeder calves and to a lesser extent market cows and bulls. The two-hour session educates producers on the effect that feeder calf quality,
The problem- While many advancements have continued to change and evolve Kentucky's beef industry, there are basic management practices that are vitally important yet are sometimes overlooked for various reasons. Such practices might include providing a complete mineral supplement, use of a controlled breeding season, crossbreeding for commercial cow-calf producers, etc. The educational program response- This program is led by Dr. Les Anderson, and includes contributions from the entire
The problem- Agriculture teachers throughout the state have expressed a desire to learn more about beef cattle production and develop tools to better equip their students to work in the beef industry or continue their education and support the beef industryThe educational program response- This program allowed Agriculture teachers throughout the state to become BQCA (Beef Quality and Care Assurance) certified and receive resources to ultimately be able to train their students to become BQCA cert
The West Kentucky Select Bred Heifer Sale held in Guthrie, KY was established by the University of Kentucky Extension in November 2000 as an annual opportunity for progressive cattle producers to purchase quality replacement heifers. In 2005, the effort was expanded to include the University of Tennessee and Tennessee producers in a cooperative effort. Starting in May of 2006, an additional sale was added to the calendar to offer fall calving bred heifers.Heifers are inspected and sc
The problem- Mineral supplementation is an important nutritional management practice for Kentucky's beef producers, as beef cattle in KY are susceptible to multiple trace mineral deficiencies and in some cases toxicities. However, there is a large deal of misinformation regarding the potential benefits or limitations to mineral supplementation. Advertisements and on-line claims can make it challenging for producers to select the correct mineral for their herd without overpaying for ingredien
Author: Morgan Hayes
The problem: Basic education for Kentucky's Beef Cattle Producers covering fundamental areas of beef cattle management and production continues to be a demand amongst the state's cattle producers.The educational program response- While Master Cattleman is not a new program, this program has not been offered since 2019-2020. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Master Cattleman program consisted of 8-10 in-person classroom sessions; however, given changes in preferences for attending in-pe
Author: Joshua Jackson
Author: Patrick Hardesty
With approximately 12,000 beef cows, beef cattle income ranks second in the county. To improve profits and sustainability, beef educational meetings were conducted in cooperation with the Taylor County Cattlemen’s Association.To promote beef in the county, the Association cooked at the C & S, Mission Store customer appreciation, Murakami employee appreciation, Kentucky Christian School fundraiser, Bluegrass Stockyards customer appreciation, Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Diversity
Author: Chadwick Conway
Implementing Breeding Soundness Exams (BSE) on a small cattle producers’ farm is a large hurdle for East Kentucky producers. With a shortage of large animal veterinarians, it is a large expense as well as difficult to find time for the Vet to make a farm call. As Extension Agents, we wanted to share the importance of having annual exams conducted on breeding age bulls as a protection against open cow herds. To help combat this concern, and bring better management to the forefront, we hoste
Author: Gregory Comer
Beef cattle require a number of minerals/vitamins for normal bodily maintenance, as well as, for optimal growth and reproduction. Selecting the correct mineral supplement is also important for maintaining healthy animals. Even though quality forages and/or grains can furnish a large portion of the required minerals, producers should select supplements that will meet animal requirements and avoid excesses that reduce profits.To address this issue, the Ohio Co. Extension Service coordinated with D
Author: Steven Musen
Beef Bash 2023 was held Thursday, September 21st at the C. Oran Little Research Center The theme of Beef Bash 2023 was “Vision of the Future”. The goal was to create an event illustrating the tremendous work done in the beef industry in Kentucky creating a vision of the future of the beef industry. The format was redesigned to accentuate all the work being done in Kentucky to improve the sustainability of the beef industry. We will have rotations featuring current research from UK an
Author: Jessica James
I partnered with Union and Webster County to have a Beef Field Day in Henderson County. This was at Kevin Martin's farm. Specialists came and discussed topics such as backgrounding, body condition, drone spraying, hay nutrition value and a KBN discussion. We had a great turnout for this field day. We had around 70 people show up. We had various counties there including Daviess, McLean, Henderson, Webster and Union. The goal was to have a field day with information on different timely topics
