Following the success of the Cow-calf Profitability Conferences in 2020 and 2021, Extension economists (Kenny Burdine, Greg Halich, and Jonathan Shepherd) wanted to offer something similar, but targeted at backgrounding and stocker operations. With the help of funding from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund and the partnership with the Kentucky Beef Network, the Backgrounding and Stocker Profitability Conference was developed. The program was intended to provide a detailed educational series for economic and marketing aspects of margin operations. The conference was offered in a virtual setting over three consecutive nights from March 22-24, 2022, with each session lasting roughly 1.5 - 2.0 hours. Live attendance was good with 77-100 participants each evening. Participants came from 49 Kentucky counties and 10 other states. The videos were also recorded and posted so that participants could review materials after the conference and reach could be broadened.

Attendees were asked to evaluate each topic on a 5 point scale with 5 being excellent and 1 being very poor. Evaluations were very high and suggested that attendees highly valued the presentations and materials. Evaluations are summarized in the table below, along with a few selected quotes from participants.

Evaluation Ratings by Presentation Topic

(5=excellent, 4=good, 3= fair, 2=poor, 1= very poor)

Selected Quotes from Participants
-Great program. Thank you very much for developing this program.
-Excellent, well done, and easy to understand. Great presenters.
-I learned a lot. Thank you.