In  Adair County, cattle make up the largest sector of the agriculture  industry.  Ranking 13th in the state, Adair County is the home of 42,000 cows and calves according to 2016 national ag statistics.  In the fall of 2017, the Adair County Cooperative Extension Service offered a series of three beef management workshops focusing on the care of the growing calf.  Session discussions including early life calf health, weaning practices, and quality and care assurance.  Sessions were led by Extension specialists and agents.  A total of 31 beef producers participated in the workshops. 

As a result, follow-up interviews with particpants revealed that six particpants made improvements to their weaning rations based on research presented by Dr. Jeff Lehmkuler.  Five particapants adopted new health protocols to control scours and respiratory diseases in young calves.  Two producers are delaying weaning time to increase the size of their calves at marketing.