Author: Courtney Jenkins
Planning Unit: Agriculture and Natural Resources Programs
Major Program: Beef
Plan of Work: Promoting Sustainable, Healthy Lifestyles and Communities
Outcome: Initial Outcome
Proper heifer development is one of the key components to profitability in a beef cattle operation. However, producers often face challenges when selecting heifers to develop and keep as replacements for their herd. Understanding the core principles of heifer development enables producers to incorporate management techniques that will ultimately improve the efficiency of their operation and the genetics of their herd. To help producers alleviate the stresses associated with selecting and developing replacement heifers, a group of ANR agents offered “Developing Replacement Heifers,” a seven-month, hands-on series that included the following topics: Economics, Facilities, and Management; Nutrition; Evaluation and Reproductive Health; Vaccination Programs, Ultra-sounding, Estrus Synchronization, and Artificial Insemination.
Follow-up surveys conducted three months after the conclusion of the program indicated: 90% of producers developed a better understanding of the economics related to sound working facilities and management practices; 75% had made improvements or were considering making improvements to their facilities and management as a result of the program; 100% understand the benefits of hay testing, reading feed tags, and offering loose, free-choice minerals as a result of the program; 65% have a better understanding of body condition scoring, reproductive tract scoring, pelvic measurements, and utilizing EPDs to increase the genetic merit of their herd; 70% learned the significance of gauging the reproductive efficiency of their herd based on ultra-sounding and eliminating non-breeders; and 60% are utilizing, or considering utilizing, what they learned about estrus synchronization protocols to tighten the calving season for their herd.
The increase in grocery store food prices, coupled with the recent local food movement, has driven c... Read More
In August 2017, 26 individuals (23 female, 3 male) participated in the Magoffin County Food Preserva... Read More
Members of theSouthern Extension-Research Activity-46 (SERA-46) team identified a need for building ... Read More
Kentuckys 90,000 miles of waterways drain into the Mississippi River, which provides two-thirds of t... Read More
The Master Cattleman Program is the flagship educational program for Kentucky cattle producers. It i... Read More
Based on the 2012 Census of Agriculture, beef production in Grayson County makes up over 52% of tota... Read More