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Craig Wood, Ph.D
Acting Associate Dean & Director
UK Cooperative Extension Service

S-107 Ag. Science Center North Lexington, KY 40546-0091

+1 (859) 257-4302

craig.wood@uky.edu

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Contact Information

Craig Wood, Ph.D
Acting Associate Dean & Director
UK Cooperative Extension Service

S-107 Ag. Science Center North Lexington, KY 40546-0091

+1 (859) 257-4302

craig.wood@uky.edu




Fiscal Year:
Jul 1, 2022 - Jun 30, 2023


Success StoryBack-to-Basics - Culver Farm



Back-to-Basics - Culver 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 owned by Dale Culvers in Nelson County. Dale has a small commercial cow-calf operation that is floundering to be profitable. Dale calves 10-11 cows in the spring and in the fall. His herd is small, the calving season spread out, and his calves have been sold as “singles”, the most inefficient marketing method. His goal was to increase the pregnancy rate, shorten his calving season, and use AI to change the sex ratio. We implemented new vaccination and mineral programs and designed a breeding program to control the sex of the calves born. After one year in the new program, Culver farms had 90 and 100% of the calves born to AI sires. Sex of the calves was controlled such that 3 heifers were born each season for replacement and the remaining came from one terminally oriented sire. Calves from the born from the first breeding season are about to be marketed and weigh 75 pounds more than previous years. Field days are being planned to highlight these accomplishments.






Stories by Leslie Anderson


Electronic Monitoring Improves Cattle Productivity

about 2 years ago by Leslie Anderson

Some cattle producers strive for complete control of their genetic program and production efficiency... Read More


Controlling Gender Increases Productivity in Beef Cattle

about 2 years ago by Leslie Anderson

Cattle producers have long desired the ability to control the gender or their calf crop. For commerc... Read More


Stories by Animal and Food Sciences


Producing Beef for the Consumer

Producing Beef for the Consumer

about 2 years ago by Katherine VanValin

Beef producers can add value to their beef cattle by educating themselves and their consumers about ... Read More


Eastern National 4-H Horse Championships

Eastern National 4-H Horse Championships

about 2 years ago by Mary Jane Little

The potential for change is a core strength of all youth—a strength that can be built upon. This str... Read More