ANIMAL & FOOD SCIENCES

BEEF TEAM PRIORITIZES KENTUCKY CATTLE PRODUCERS NEEDS

By Aimee Nielson

As the largest cattle-producing state east of the Mississippi River, Kentucky is home to more than 2 million cattle, the majority of which are beef cattle. The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment has a network of specialists tasked with supporting beef cattle producers. The UK Beef Integrated Resource Management team, together with industry and commodity groups, work through many innovative and educational ways to make sure Kentucky’s cattle producers have the knowledge they need to be competitive, sustainable and profitable.

“We started this group in the 1990s, but even before then, we were working hand-in-hand with the Kentucky Beef Network and the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association to offer vital programs to beef producers,” said Les Anderson, beef specialist in the UK Department of Animal and Food Sciences. “When you look back over time, we have been able to impact the industry in very measurable ways and improve the overall quality of the state’s beef cattle.”

In the past 20-plus years, the group has implemented successful programs such as Master Cattleman, Beef Quality and Care Assurance, Bull Value Assessment Program, Cow College, the West Kentucky Select Bred Heifer Sale and the CPH-45 program.

“We’ve been able to educate nearly 4,500 producers through the Master Cattleman program,” said Ben Crites, Kentucky Beef IRM Program coordinator. “Those numbers represent participants from 117 of the state’s 120 counties.”

While numbers of participants in a program is important, the economic impact of a program for a producer is equally important. A good example of this is the CPH 45 program, which is the state’s premier feeder calf development and management program.

“Since 2001, the net added value over expenses has averaged $64.59 per head, based on 362,207 head, for a total of more than $23 million in net added returns,” said Kevin Laurent, beef production extension specialist based at the UK Research and Education Center in Princeton. “In the past five years, the net added value over expenses has averaged more than $87 per head for a total of more than $4 million in net added returns.”

One thing that has made the programs so successful is the network of specialist and agricultural and natural resource extension agents who have built relationships of trust with clients across the state. Producers trust the research-based information they receive and realize the value of cattle improvement beyond their own operation.

“We have taken a systematic approach to meeting the needs of cattle producers,” said Darrh Bullock, extension professor for UK Animal and Food Sciences. “We assemble a collaborative group to respond to each issue, and that’s been very important because most issues are multifaceted. These teams always include animal scientists and extension agents, but we also bring in meat scientists, grain and forage specialists, entomologists, veterinarians, agricultural economists and engineers to address specific needs of the industry. Fortunately, we have all of these specialists within the college, and we all work well together.”

The group also periodically hosts leadership conferences where producers can network with UK specialists and industry professionals.

“It really empowers producers to step out of their comfort zones and to learn from us and from each other,” said Jeff Lehmkuhler, UK beef nutrition specialist. “They are very engaged, and they are more apt to follow our recommendations when they are partners in the process.”

Kentucky is a diverse state. Central Kentucky, UK’s C. Oran Little Research Center has a dedicated beef research unit that provides producers with the most up-todate information on cattle nutrition and management as well as classrooms to educate the next generation of Kentucky cattle producers. Producers in far Western Kentucky have different needs than those in Central and Eastern parts of the state. UK Beef IRM specialists respond to each situation taking regional differences into consideration. Having specialists in each area allows for real-time responses to producers’ needs.

“Western Kentucky is very different from the rest of the state in many ways,” said Katie VanValin, beef specialist at the UKREC. “Folks don’t want to drive three hours to Lexington to attend programs; they want to get in-person help with their herds where they live. We are able to bring programming directly to them where they are and quickly respond to them.”

While each region has its unique needs, many programs have a statewide impact.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the educational programing has moved online. The group has a website with several resources at http://afs.ca.uky. edu/beef/irm, with broader beef resources available at http://afs.ca.uky.edu/beef.

“In this economic climate, Kentucky producers need us more than perhaps ever before,” Anderson said. “We will continue to serve them in any way we can.