“With 895,000 head of beef cattle in the commonwealth, Kentucky remains the state with the largest beef inventory east of the Mississippi River,” Commissioner Quarles said. The average cow herd is around 30 head with farmers having an average of 2 bulls. But there is an issue, in rural communities across the nation, there is a large animal veterinarian shortage.
    The Franklin, Henry, Shelby, and Owen County agriculture and natural resources agents partnered together with the Owen County Veterinarian Clinic to offer the first Breeding Soundness Exam for producers in over 12years.
     For the first session participants gathered and learned how and why to test their bulls and what to look for when selecting replacement bulls. Session two, producers learned how to read EPD’s and genomic test. On the third session, producers from a two-hour radius brought bulls to a BSE clinic and were offered a discounted rate. By these producers participating and ensuring their bulls were producing well, it is estimated we made a $150,000 value impact in our local economy.