Success StoryBack-to-Basics - GCF Angus Farm
Back-to-Basics - GCF Angus Farm
Author: Leslie Anderson
Planning Unit: Animal and Food Sciences
Major Program: Beef
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
Survey data from the USDA indicates that most beef cattle producers in the US do not use many management protocols that have been proven to improve productivity and/or profitability. Some examples include breeding soundness exams in bulls, pregnancy determination in cows, controlled calving seasons, vaccinations, and forage management. The Back-to-Basics University of Kentucky Extension Program is designed to identify 10 farms in Kentucky that want to improve their management by incorporating proven management techniques and recording the outcomes of the new management protocol. This success story involves a beef cattle operation named GCF Angus Farms. This farm is in Marshall County and is a seedstock operation. This farm is a prime example of a farm that thinks they are using modern management protocols but didn’t have a true understanding and numerous new protocols were initiated. The biggest problem on this operation was pinkeye. More than 70% of the animals (30 cows plus calves) annually were treated for pinkeye. We worked with a local veterinarian to help develop a autogenous pinkeye vaccine, used fly tags, and clipped pastures and the incidence decreased to less than 5%. Two rounds of AI using sex-sorted semen was to help fine tune the genetic profile. More than 75% of the mature cows conceived to the sex-sorted semen. The forage program was completely revised and a new system for heifer development was implemented. Advances on GCF Angus were demonstrated in two field days attended by over 50 local cattle producers.
Stories by Leslie Anderson
UK IRM Farm Program Stimulates Dramatic Changes in Productivity and Revenue for Cattlemen in Clark County
Reproductive success governs production efficiency in beef cow-calf operations. The University of Ke... Read More
UK IRM Farm Program Stimulates Dramatic Changes in Productivity and Revenue for Cattlemen in Whitley County
Reproductive success governs production efficiency in beef cow-calf operations. The University of Ke... Read More
Stories by Animal and Food Sciences
Meeting the educational needs of small egg producers
There has been a trend in Kentucky for many nontraditional clientele to have small egg producing flo... Read More
Horse Academy for Chinese Students
The University of Kentucky China Initiatives Office approached me regarding offering a horse program... Read More
© 2024 University of Kentucky, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment