Grass in the Rumen Equals Pounds on the Rail

The key to a productive cattle herd is forage management.  Much as grain farmers use combines as harvesting equipment, cattle producers can think of their livestock as their harvesting equipment.  In this mind set the better a producer can utilize their grass, the more productive their cattle operation can be.  According to the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association there are over 995,000 head of beef cattle in the state of Kentucky.  That makes Kentucky the largest beef cow producing state east of the Mississippi River.  Grass in the rumen equals pounds on the rail.

On May 11^th 2021, nearly 30 producers from three states met at the Christian County Extension Office to attend a fencing school.  The fencing school taught principles of fencing, fence law, and hands on fencing demonstrations.  The full day training gave participants a better understanding of the types of fence used and how to properly construct them.  Dr. Chris Teutsch explained that good fences allow producers to better utilize their pastures, and allows them to be more efficient with their grazing system.   As fence technology has improved producers can adapt and modify their grazing system on a daily basis to accommodate their grazing needs.

As beef producers look for ways to be competitive in a global market they find that being more efficient in how they feed their cattle is a key priority.  By being better forage managers cattle producers can decrease their feed cost and increase their pounds of gain.  Remember, grass in the rumen equals pounds on the rail.