Cow Country News - May 2023

MAY IS BEEF MONTH

For someone that has next to zero interest in what I do on the farm, Cassie sure does know a lot about cattle. I can’t begin to count how many times we’ve been at a social event, and she has answered a question about beef production. However, I can tell by her body language she is almost embarrassed she knew the answer to what we were asked. She is an excellent videographer for bull sales, but outside that, her exposure to what I do daily is limited to overhearing phone calls or me saying I need to do a particular task. Despite her best efforts to tune out “cow talk,” she is a walking Kentucky Beef Council fact sheet. Whether it is the timing of colostrum, USDA quality grades, or performance testing, she knows more than she likes to let on.

Conversely, I know way more about training for a marathon than someone with absolutely zero intention to run a marathon ever should. I know what a training week should typically look like, when you should do your speed workouts, and when to plan your long runs. I understand what mileage should look like during a training cycle. I could even tell you how to target negative splits throughout the race. One foundational concept in marathon training is called “fit enough to train.” To execute a marathon training cycle properly, you must be in good enough shape to check the boxes in a given week. If you can’t go out and run 8 miles (at any pace) today, you probably aren’t going to be able to execute a workout of mile repeats five times at a targeted race pace. That doesn’t mean you will never be able to run a marathon. It just means you need to do a lot of aerobic base-building if you have any sort of time objectives in a marathon outside of simply completing the race. In short, you have to start in good enough shape, or you won’t be able to see results from the optimized training plan, no matter how well-written it is.

The obvious parallel to beef production is a calving season. Much like you need to start with an adequate aerobic base to properly train for a particular goal time, you have to start with a calving season if you are looking to increase profit. You can raise healthy calves and have cows in good condition, but if you don’t start with a managed calving season, you aren’t going to see the gains from additional management practices on your bottom line. If your goals are bigger than just owning cows, you better have a calving season, or you will not be able to see them come to fruition. I wrote a few weeks ago that everyone’s bandwidth for owning cattle is different, but even if you don’t need your cows to make a profit, you must undoubtedly be interested in losing less money. If anything, having a calving season streamlines your labor requirements. You can produce a more homogenous calf crop by operating with a managed calving season. Animal welfare practices are more manageable because all your calves are ready to steer and vaccinate at the same time. The ebb

and flow of nutritional requirements in your cow herd are all in synch when all your cows are in the same stage of production at the same time. You can also retain a homogenous set of replacement heifers ready to breed and put in production simultaneously.

Much like a marathon training plan needs to start with a calendar, your calving season planning also needs to start with a calendar. Cassie knows the dates of the two marathons she is running this year, and she knows precisely when training blocks should start and when her mileage should peak. Much like you can eventually build an aerobic base and have time goals in a marathon, you can also build up to having a managed calving season. Going into detail about consolidating 365 calving to a controlled season is a several thousand-word newsletter on its own, so I won’t try to get into the meat of it in the few words I have left. However, I would start with a calendar, identify the months of the year you don’t want to calve and count backward by nine months. Your bull needs to be out of your pastures during that window. This can be done with a solar charger and a few hundred dollars of temporary fencing materials. Once you do that, I will be more than happy to talk with you about the next steps. If you can’t start with those two steps, I can’t help you increase profitability because we don’t have a solid foundation to build upon. Cassie’s training plan is not rocket science. It is a tried and true recipe that runners have done over and over again. The playbook for well-managed cow-calf production is much the same. Just like a marathon starts with a few small first steps, profitable beef production does as well.

Joe K. Lowe II Contact joe.lowe@icloud.com

COLUMNISTS

07 Andy Bishop: President’s Thoughts

08 Ryan Quarles: Celebrate Beef Month

11 Dave Maples: Thoughts from Dave

18 Dr. Michelle Arnold: Time to Test the Water? The Importance of Water Quality for Cattle Health and Performance

26 Chris Teutsch: Summer Annual Grasses: High Quality Summer Grazing, but at What Cost?

30 Ruminate on This: Flip That Cow: How Can We Add Value To Market Cows?

54 Dr. Katie VanValin: What Goes Into Making The Perfect Ration?

FEATURE STORIES

20Commissioner Quarles Applauds Passage of Bill That Modernizes Veterinary Care

25Study Demonstrates Red Meat Exports’ Value to Corn and Soybean Industries

28Cattlemen's Beef Board Op-Ed: Beef Producers Must Share Their Environmental Stories

29More Corn and Wheat Acres, Fewer Soybean Acres

35Producers “Rev Up” Beef Demand at the Daytona 500

Corbin Cowles • Ph: 270.991.2534

Email: corbin@schraderauction.com

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OFFICERS: REGIONAL DIRECTORS:

PRESIDENT

Andy Bishop

6135 High Grove Road Cox’s Creek, KY 40013 (502) 350-7609

PRESIDENT ELECT

Jeff Pettit

5745 US Highway 41 S Seebree, KY 42455 (270) 836-2963

VICE PRESIDENT

Randy Warner

2717 Ratliff Road

Sharpsburg, KY 40374 (859) 771-5280

TREASURER

Ken Adams

90 E Horseshoe Ave. Upton, KY 42784 (270) 734-1443

KCA PAST PRESIDENTS:

REGION

PAST PRESIDENT Cary King 250 Bright Leaf Drive

Harrodsburg, KY 40330 (859) 613-3734

KCA PROGRAM CHAIRMAN

Daniel Hayden

6333 Herbert Road Whitesville, KY 42378 (270) 570-2815

KBC CHAIRMAN

Joe Lowe PO Box 205 Smith’s Grove, KY 42171 (270) 202-4399

KBN CHAIRMAN*

Allan Bryant

BEEF SOLUTIONS CHAIRMAN*

Jeff Pettit

Staff Accountant

Kelly Tucker

Director of Kentucky Beef Network

Becky Thompson

KBN Industry Coordinator

Dan Miller

Publication Coordinator

Carey Brown

VOLUME 36 • ISSUE 5

Membership Coordinator

Nikki Whitaker

Beef Solutions Operations Manager

Kenny Allen

KBC Director of Brand Management

Kylie Trail

KBC Director of Education

Bradon Burks

Membership and Communications Coordinator

Rachel Cain

Graphic Designer

Todd Brown

Video Production Specialist

Danny Coy

National Advertising Sales, LAN

Debby Nichols (859) 321-8770

COW COUNTRY is published monthly by THE KENTUCKY CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any material which he feels is unsuitable for the publication. Although the highest journalistic ethics will be maintained, the KENTUCKY CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION limits its responsibilities for any errors, inaccuracies, or misprints in advertising or editorial copy. Advertisers and advertising agencies assume liability for all content of advertisements made against the publisher.

Gary Woodall...............................270-725-0819

Wayne Zoleman...........................270-315-7812

Mark Heimgartner........................270-875-2585

Jeremy Armstrong......................270-668-2056

Kenton Howard..................................................

Sara Roberson............................270-668-2428

REGION 2

Phyllis Gentry*............................502-331-1146

Thomas Bolton...................................................

Fred Thomas......................................................

Bradley Willcox............................270-862-4142

Robbie Hatfield............................270-230-6716

Chris Imbruligo...........................270-993-0543

Maggie Vaughn...........................270-590-8017

Mike Jones..................................270-670-7588

Corbin Cowles.............................270-991-2534

Glen Byrd.....................................270-991-1186

Isaac Thompson.........................270-789-8712

Kenneth Green............................270-589-7175

Andy Joe Moore..........................270-590-0841

Brian Manion...............................270-868-0253

Joe Mike Moore..........................270-670-7493

Amy Cecil....................................270-427-7207

REGION 3

Allan Bryant*...............................502-548-1379

Allen Phillips................................502-220-0948

Wanda Hawkins...........................502-321-5602

Phillip Douglas............................502-552-0688

Larry Bryant................................502-845-4615

Amanda Hall................................859-333-5001

Nicole Goecke.............................606-782-2263

Ben Tinsley.........................................................

Kevin Perkins..............................502-269-7189

Kyle Bush....................................859-588-4531

Michelle Simon...........................859-572-2600

REGION 4

Amy White*.................................859-227-2552

Brad Reynolds.............................859-200-1632

Derek Abney................................859-248-0200

Phillip Stamm.............................606-796-9175

Danielle Harmon.........................606-748-8059

Bruce Witt...................................859-585-8889

Jodi Purvis..................................606-336-3540

Mike Ravencraft..........................606-584-0310

Brandon Sears...................................................

Danny Callahan...........................859-388-0910

Jason Crowe...............................859-582-0761

REGION 5

Adam Chunglo*..........................859-613-2985

Brent Woodrum...........................859-397-1078

Tommy Spalding.........................270-402-9157

Dean Craft...................................606-634-0191

Brent Ware..................................606-305-8612

Rick Brewer.................................606-682-2352

Brent Williams.............................502-817-1511

Gary Ford....................................270-402-2194

Aaron Burke................................859-265-1172

Ryan Miller..................................502-827-5027

Phillip Reese................................606-787-1629

Jared Foley..................................270-585-1331

* Denotes member of Executive committee

*ex officio

Presidents Thoughts

Andy Bishop KCA President

It looks like Spring has finally arrived and hopefully you have things ready for the flush of new growth and excitement. My favorite time of the day is in the evening after a day in the office where I can ride pastures, move cows to fresh grass, and watch those new babies run the fields. I purchased my first cows out of college to escape the stress of a full-time job and still try to take some time to enjoy the small things on the farm. As with anything, I have turned that hobby into another full-time job, but one I wouldn’t trade for anything. People often joke that I had a passel of kids to help raise my livestock, but I would argue that I have livestock to help raise my kids. Traveling the country with the Cattlemen’s Association and Cattlemen’s Beef Board, I’m reminded of the importance of building a legacy for future generations. When farmers and ranchers across the country introduce themselves, many will proudly state they are the 5th, 6th, or even 7th generation on the ranch and that their children will be the next. I feel like as parents we often spend so much time with the hustle and bustle that we forget to teach our children the value of being stewards of what God has blessed us with and the value of building generational wealth or creating family legacies. I’ve spent a lot of time lately pondering what will my legacy be and how I will instill the desire for my children to keep the farm and pass it on to my future grandchildren. I wasn’t born into a farming family nor will inherit a large farm, but the goal would be to build an operation that I can pass down. I challenge you to have those tough conversations about estate planning. Family farms are dwindling and it’s our responsibility to pass on the legacy that will one day be otherwise forgotten.

I have been on the move a lot lately with two trips to Denver and will be in DC the next two weeks. One of the activities that we participated in last week while in Denver was a Personality Index. We took a quiz prior to the training that asked random questions about situations to determine what our personality is. Mine was a Motivator/Inspirer or Yellow/ Red on the color wheel. Without boring you with all the details it basically breaks people into 4 categories Red, Yellow, Blue, Green and determines what level you are within each. My levels have changed

slightly over the years as I become cognizant of my personality when working with others. The goal is to learn how to work with those personalities that are different than our own. I always use the saying “different flavors of Kool-Aid” or it takes “All Kinds of Kinds” and that rings true with this exercise. One of the things I apparently do well is empowering others. I have always used empowerment to motivate others to step up their game or rise to the challenge when there are tasks to be done. I feel like we often want to take so much ownership of things around us that we forget that others can help with a task and often may do it better than we do. Who can you empower? Empower your children by giving them more responsibility and accepting that it might not be done the way you would do it, but they will learn so much more by working through it. Empower your co-workers or your employees with new challenges and let them learn through problem solving. Empower your organization to work on your behalf. KCA, NCBA, CBB, and the KY Beef Council are groups that are working for you every day. They work to complete those tedious tasks producers don’t have the time to do. Will we always agree with everything others do? Definitely not, but that’s the part of empowering that may be the hardest, accepting that we cannot do everything and that nobody will do things exactly how we would. The more involved I get within organizations the more I am amazed at the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes in our interests. Did you know that there was a Veterinary Bill on the floor in Frankfort? Did you know that the bill had language in it to require a veterinarian to come to your farm to euthanize an animal? Did you know that the current administration in DC enacted the Waters of the US which now gives the EPA rights to any water on your farm and that NCBA got it repealed once and is working to do so again? Did you know that the US Meat Export Federation works in 80 countries to promote beef and for every dollar they spend, $24 dollars of beef sales are generated, and that Beef Exports set a record in 2022? Did you know that Beef Demand in 2022 was the highest that it has been in over 30 years thanks to the Checkoff. Thanks to those groups whom

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producers have empowered, our interests are being tended to and most don’t even know it!

Who in your life has empowered you? I’ve had several mentors over the years that entrusted me with tasks that ultimately led to who I am today. The most recent is my boss Frank Wilson who empowers me to spend the vast amounts of time out of office with confidence that it will make me a better person, employee, and leader inside and outside of our institution, for that, I am thankful.

At the end of the day, empowering means letting go of some control so that others can succeed and in return we all succeed. I challenge you to look for ways to empower someone this month and let them work through their mistakes. “Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.” John Maxwell

Celebrate Beef Month

Ryan Quarles Commissioner of Agriculture

Happy Beef Month! I encourage Kentuckians to join me in supporting our cattle producers by serving delicious Kentucky Proud beef during the month of May. As the spring weather warms, go outside, fire up the ole grill, and cook up some tasty steaks or mouthwatering Kentucky Cattlemen's Ground Beef patties!

Speaking of those delicious burgers, during the first week in April, Kentucky Cattlemen's Ground Beef exceeded $5 million in farm gate sales in its first five years of existence. The Kentucky Proud product, which debuted in 80 new Kroger stores last month, has impacted 351 cattle farms in 76 Kentucky counties, with 5,500 cows sold into the program.

I’m proud that our beef producers continue to provide quality protein as part of a healthy, balanced diet. Buying Kentucky Proud beef helps Kentucky producers provide for their families while supporting our economy right here at home.

To celebrate Beef Month, the Kentucky Beef Council will donate 1 ton of Kentucky Cattlemen’s Ground Beef to a Louisville food bank on Saturday, May 20 during Beef Night at Louisville Slugger Field.

With 895,000 head of beef cattle in the commonwealth, Kentucky’s beef inventory ranks 14th in the nation and remains the largest east of the Mississippi River. Kentucky is home to 38,000 beef cattle producers among the 73,500 total farms in the state.

Kentucky produced approximately 697 million pounds of beef in 2021 valued at more than $806 million. Beef cattle sales accounted for approximately $878 million in cash receipts to Kentucky producers in 2021 and gross income of $890 million. Cattle cash receipts rank fourth among Kentucky commodities and account for 13 percent of total agricultural receipts.

University of Kentucky agricultural economist Kenny Burdine said beef cattle prices were higher in 2022 for heavy feeders and calves. Average prices increased $17 to $154 per hundredweight in December 2022 from a year before, but higher production costs eroded most of that profit for farmers.

Drought in much of the U.S. last year led to an extremely high slaughter of female

cows, resulting in a 3-4 percent reduction in beef cow inventory this year. Burdine predicted that will result in the highest prices paid to cattle farmers since 2015.

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) helps producers find new markets for their cattle, conducts beef cattle shows, tracks market prices, and protects Kentucky’s herds from disease. To find out more about the department’s services, go to kyagr.com.

Through the KDA’s Office of Agricultural Policy, 38 Kentucky meat processors have been awarded $9,520,471 from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF). Included was $4,753,825 from the Meat Processing Investment Program, $2,766,646 in Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corp. loans, and $2 million as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The KADF has also invested more than $20 million in the Kentucky Beef Network since its inception.

The KDA will now

be better prepared to protect Kentucky cattle thanks to our state legislators passing a bill to create the infrastructure for a new division within the KDA’s Office of the State Veterinarian (OSV). Senate Bill 46 (SB46) enhances the department’s preparedness and response to animal emergencies.

SB46 creates the infrastructure for the Emergency Preparedness and Response Division, within OSV. The bill allows OSV to be better positioned for its principal role in protecting Kentucky livestock against disease and natural disasters, while at the same time completing the other tasks that maintain the health of the state’s herds and flocks.

I want to thank our hard-working folks at OSV and assure them that help is on the way! And I think I speak for all Kentuckians by thanking our cattle farmers for continuing to put delicious Kentucky Proud beef on our dinner tables all year round.

We are all aware of the amount of money it takes to run a cattle operation, it is a significant investment. At Stone Gate, our cattle have always had to pay their own way. They are real world cattle. They pay the mortgage, operating and living expenses. Our investment in time has made it possible. Breeding cattle is a process that can’t be sped up. It takes time to produce proven cattle that are predictable and consistent, making sure that no glaring faults pop up unexpectedly.

We are also invested in the future. It is not our objective to cash in on current fads in the cattle industry. What is popular at the moment isn’t always good for the industry. Our focus is on producing cattle that will stand the test of time. They will be efficient, consistent, predictable and profitable.

Our most important investment is in you, our customers. We understand that you deserve the most from your hard earned money. When you buy from Stone Gate, a partnership is formed. We are committed to doing our part in helping you develop a profitable herd of cattle.

As in anything we purchase, the product is only as good as the people behind it. You can count on us and if a problem does happen to come up, we do stand behind our cattle.

Thoughts From Dave

Dave Maples Executive Vice President

Writing this article has always been a challenge for me. It is a wonderful opportunity but writing is not one of my favorite things to do. I have tried to get someone else to write the article. Over the years I have kidded with the interns about being a ghost writer for me but Carey Brown would not allow that. But now I may have found a way around her. I have been hearing about Artificial Intelligence or (AI) for a while now. But this past weekend I was introduced to an open AI Chat platform. Where you can have a chat with the AI or computer. This is powerful stuff and it will change the way we do things.

So, Dave being Dave, and after being asked the question several times about the total revenue of Kentucky Agriculture, and knowing I had to write my May article. I just did a chat with Chatbot by OpenAI and typed the command.

the total revenue of Kentucky agriculture was $5.3 billion, according to data from the United States Department of Agriculture.

One of the key drivers of Kentucky's agricultural revenue is the production of livestock and poultry. In 2021, the state's livestock and poultry sales totaled $3.5 billion, accounting for 66% of the total agricultural revenue. This includes the production of cattle, hogs, sheep, and poultry, as well as the sale of related products such as milk, eggs, and wool.

In addition to livestock and poultry, Kentucky's crop production is also an important source of revenue. In 2021, crop sales totaled $1.8 billion, representing 34% of the total agricultural revenue. The state's top crops include corn, soybeans, wheat, tobacco,

billion in revenue in 2021, according to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

Overall, the agriculture industry is a significant contributor to Kentucky's economy, supporting more than 260,000 jobs and contributing over $45 billion in economic impact. The industry has continued to grow and evolve in recent years, with advances in technology and sustainable farming practices helping to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

As the state's agriculture industry continues to evolve, it will be important to support ongoing innovation and growth in the sector. This includes investments in research and development, infrastructure, and workforce development to ensure that Kentucky remains a leader in agricultural production and innovation.

Where this technology goes is going to be fun to watch. It is so powerful. People that learn to use it and adapt will really have a powerful tool to use. It is going to cause lots

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Insect pests can wreak havoc on your cattle, from reducing weight gains to carrying costly diseases like pink eye. That’s why it pays to protect your herd with the proven performance of Y-TEX® insecticide ear tags. Y-TEX® tags control a wide range of livestock pests, including horn flies, face flies, stable flies, black flies, Gulf Coast and spinose ear ticks and lice.

So when it’s time to protect your cattle from flies, ticks and lice, look for the insecticide tags that put a stop to profit-robbing pests: TRI-ZAP ™ , MAX 40 ™ , XP 820 ® , OPtimizer ®, PYthon® II, and PYthon® II Magnum™from Y-TEX®. Always read and follow label directions. All brands shown are trademarks or registered trademarks of Y-TEX® Corporation. © 2020 Y-TEX® Corporation.

Where do you think the phrase

“dropping like flies” came from?

BARREN COUNTY

Submitted by James

Bailey

The Barren County Cattlemen’s meeting was held Thursday evening, March 16th, 2023 at the Barren County High School Trojan Academy. During the meeting Mr. Gary Williams of Pro Trition Feeds presented a program on cattle minerals, and Kevin Laurent of the UK Extension Service presented a program on beef cattle holding facilities. A delicious steak dinner was served which was sponsored by ProSolutions of Hiseville, KY.

The Barren County Cattlemen’s meeting was held Thursday evening, April 13th, 2023 at the Barren County High School Trojan Academy. During the meeting Mr. Brad Bennett, District and Business Manager of ABS presented a program entitled; “More than a straw of Semen.” Sherry

Chapman of Multimin talked about Multimin 90 and its advantage as an injectable mineral supplement for cattle. Mr. Andy Bishop, President of the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association, discussed beef cattle marketing and the cattlemen check-off program. A delicious steak dinner was served which was sponsored by ABS and Multimin.

GRANT COUNTY

Submitted by

Tim Henry

On behalf of Grant County farmers I would like to thank instructor Erin Butler and the Grant County FFA for hosting a farmers appreciation breakfast .

These young ladies prepared a delicious meal.

Pictured from left to right is Joe Moore, President of the Barren County Cattlemen’s Association, John Keightley, Jason Wyatt, David Crain, Gary Willliams, and Kevin Laurent, all representing Pro-Solutions of Hiseville, KY.

BATH COUNTY NEWS

Submitted by Randy Warner

Toxin Infested Fescue? WE CAN HELP!

Bath County had our first meeting of the year with a great crowd of 144 members enjoying a Ribeye steak meal. The local FSA director informed the crowd of new programs offered by USDA.

HARDIN COUNTY NEWS

Submitted by Chuck Crutcher

The Hardin County Cattlemen’s, Association grilled Kentucky Cattlemens hamburger for the Creekside Elementary Ag day for those making presentations and the school staff. The school had 17 stations teaching everything about agriculture. This included grain, livestock, conservation and safety. The Kentucky Beef Council was represented by Morgynne Lunsford and Bradon Burks.

A three-year research study was conducted using Fescue 7 at Morehead State University. Researchers measured cow body condition scores, calf weights, hair shedding, body temperature, and cow behavior. Cows provided the Fescue 7 mineral had significantly better body condition scores, quicker hair shedding, lower body temperature and grazed more frequently during the heat of the day. We believe that our research shows that Fescue 7 mineral can be an effective tool in combating heat stress associated with fescue toxicosis.”

Dr. Patricia Harrelson

Associate Professor of Animal Science at Morehead State University

Gro-Tec • Austin Stevens • Willy Campbell 1-800-535-3354 • (606) 748-9987 • www.gro-tec.com

Fly control has never been easier.

“Some years ago, we lost almost an entire calf crop due to the fescue. Needless to say I was looking for answers. One thing I did was attend the Alliance for Grassland Renewal workshop and learned a lot of things, which we have instituted as common practices on our farm and farms we rent. However, I didn’t want to get rid of the Kentucky 31 because I’m a seedstock producer and I felt that if I did away with the Kentucky 31 I could possibly be selling cattle to people that couldn’t handle the hot grass. So I opted to just do a better job of managing the grass that covers most cattle country in my area. The second thing I did was look up a mineral salesman I had talked to a year prior by the name of George Speigelhalder. That conversation changed the landscape of our operation forever. He introduced me to Gro-Tec mineral and a product called Fescue 7. Without going into great detail this stuff is a gamechanger. Not only did it help tremendously with the fescue but it also cut down our pinkeye and foot rot problems. Sent our breed back rates on the high 90% range.”

Toxin Infested Fescue?

A three-year research study was conducted using Fescue 7 at Morehead State University. Researchers measured cow body condition scores, calf weights, hair shedding, body temperature, and cow behavior. Cows provided the Fescue 7 mineral had significantly better body condition scores, quicker hair shedding, lower body temperature and grazed more frequently during the heat of the day. We believe that our research shows that Fescue 7 mineral can be an effective tool in combating heat stress associated with fescue toxicosis.”

Dr. Patricia Harrelson Associate Professor of Animal Science at Morehead State University

Pictured from left to right is Karen House, Shirley Ogden, Chuck Crutcher, Reva Richardson, Bradley Willcox and Charley House

Jason Schroeder, Schroeder’s Black Herefords Jefferson City, MO

Checkoff

JANUARY 17, 1973

Kentucky Cattle Groups Merge, Have New Name

The Annual Grassland Livestock Roundup was held at the Agricultural Science Center at the University of Kentucky in Lexington and attracted a capacity crowd. Jere Caldwell, local farmer and president of the Kentucky Feeder Calf Association presided at the annual meeting and realized a goal he had long sought to achieve – the merger of the Kentucky Feeder Calf Association with the Kentucky Cattleman's Association into one strong organization, the Kentucky Beef Cattle Association. The purpose of this organization was to promote the marketing of Kentucky beef cattle and further enhance the economic progress of the beef cattle enterprise throughout the state.

JULY 10, 1973

Summer Business Meeting –Talk of Check off Begins

Directors of the Kentucky Beef Cattle Association, of which Jere Caldwell was the president, scheduled to receive reports of committees named to work in various phases of the cattle industry in Kentucky at their meeting.

OCTOBER 1, 1973

Cattle Associations Have First Annual Meeting

MARCH 18, 1976

Andrew Duke (third from right) on behalf of Duke Farms of Mason County, made the first formal request in Kentucky to have 10 cents per head checked off from sale of his cattle and turned over to the Kentucky Beef Cattle Association Promotion Fund. The transaction was made the last week at the Haysville Feeder Calf Sale at the OK Stockyards, where Duke sold some 45 head of cattle. At the check-off presentation were, from left, Jere Caldwell president and John Ford secretarytreasurer, KBCA, receiving check; Stanley Berry, co-owner OK Stockyards; Duke Wilson Walton and Tom Roberts also co-owners of the yards. Duke Farms, totaling 1900 acres with 172 Hereford and Angus cows bred to Charolais bulls, planned to request check-off on all future sales of cattle.

The annual meeting of Kentucky Cowboy's Conference and Kentucky Cowbelles was held at the Agriculture Science Center at the University of Kentucky, Lexington. The day's events included the first annual meeting of the Kentucky Beef Cattle Association. Smith T Powell was elected KBCA President.

Beef Bill Signed

Smith T Powell on left, Stanford Ky, President of the Ky Beef Cattle Association and other officers watched Governor Carroll sign the beef promotion bill. Signing of the bill allowed cattlemen of Kentucky to conduct a referendum concerning whether or not to assess themselves on cattle sold for the purpose of creating a fund for the promotion of the Kentucky Cattle Industry, was a big step forward according to officials of the Kentucky Beef Cattle Association.

This enabling legislation, passed 89 to 3 by the House of Representatives and unanimously by the Senate, became law 60 days after adjournment of the legislature. This allowed the referendum to be conducted in early fall.

SEPTEMBER 7, 1976 State Cattle Check-Off vote

The official date of September 7 was set for voting on a 10-centper-head promotional check-off for sale cattle.

SEPTEMBER 16, 1976

Beef check-off proposal passes

The beef cattle checkoff referendum passed statewide, and was announced by Commissioner of Agriculture Thomas Harris. Results showed 81 per cent voted for and 19 per cent against statewide. This meant that beef producers woud have ten cents deducted, or checked off, for every head of cattle sold.

Crowner Takes Over His Duties With KBCA

Jack Crowner, a 25-year veteran farm broadcaster, became executive secretary of the Kentucky Beef Cattle Association on January 1 after serving as farm director at WMT, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and at WAVE in Louisville, Ky. for 20 years.

JULY 23, 1977

Farmers of Kentucky, Nation, veto fund to promote beef

Cattle farmers in Kentucky and across the nation turned down a proposal that they give to a campaign to promote more beef sales. By rejecting that idea in a national referendum, the farmers have dealt a blow to cattle-industry leaders who have been trying to ward off what they see as a wave of "anti-meat sentiment" among consumer groups and others.

OCTOBER 1977 New Cattle Publication

Ready for October Mailing

A new publication pertaining to agriculture — specifically the livestock industry — will arrive in many of Kentucky's rural mailboxes about mid-October. The publication named The Kentucky Cattleman, sent 4500-5000 issues that were mailed to all Livestock Breeder Journal subscribers in the state as well as all members of the Kentucky Beef Cattle Association and other interested parties in the state and surrounding areas.

OCTOBER 1977

KCA Office moves to Louisville

The official KCA office moved from E.S. Good Barn on the University of Kentucky campus to 606 Phillips Lane in Louisville, KY.

MAY 15, 1979

Plan formed to certify beef cattle – First talk of CPH Cattle

A plan was being developed to certify Kentucky feeder cattle that are “preconditioned for health" and to offer them at special sales in the state during late summer and fall.

FALL 1979

First CPH Sales - October 26 at Clay Wachs Stockyard in Lexington & November 12 at Farmers Livestock Market in Somerset

Two special Kentucky feeder calf sales got the attention of producers throughout the state, cattle buyers and even some feedlot operators in other states where most of Kentucky's calves are finished for the slaughter beef market.

The very first officers of the Association were Jere Caldwell, president; Barkley Colson of Somerset, vice-president and John Ford of Maysville, secretarytreasurer.

Dues in the KBCA started as $10 then moved to $2 by 1978.

KBCA sponsored feeder cattle sales and performance testing programs during the 1970’s. Much time was spent in producer education, passing the checkoff and looking for ways to improve marketing of Kentucky cattle. KBCA offered the KY Beef Herd Improvement Program and as they grew gained their own quarterly publication and staff.

KBCA was an affiliate of the National Cattlemen’s Association (NCA)

KBCA had an annual meeting each year and had a booth at the North American International Livestock Exposition

See more in our June issue, as we explore KCA history into the 1980s!

Time to Test the Water? The Importance of Water Quality for Cattle Health and Performance

Dr. Michelle Arnold UK Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

When an unexplained death occurs in a cattle herd, one of the first questions producers ask is “Could it be something in the water?” Concern is often expressed about potential runoff from nearby crop fields after a hard rain or toxic contamination upstream that has made its way down the creek and into the livestock drinking water. In Kentucky, excess sulfur, nitrates, microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and protozoans) and blue green algae blooms in livestock drinking water can cause serious clinical disease in cattle. In addition, excessive levels of certain minerals in drinking water may cause diarrhea and sometimes interfere with normal trace mineral absorption, resulting in nutritional deficiencies. However, cattle health problems are seldom directly due to what is in the water but rather the decrease in water consumption because of the poor quality, taste, and odor. Decreased water consumption is potentially as harmful as not having enough water available. When cattle do not drink enough, feed intake and milk production drop, heat stress worsens, and overall immunity suffers. Testing the water seems like a straightforward answer to determine if the water is acceptable for livestock use, but is it?

Testing water quality for livestock consumption can be expensive, depending on the tests requested, and the results may prove challenging to interpret and act upon. Not all laboratories run the same battery of tests, reference ranges may be reported in multiple formats and in unfamiliar units, and the test names may not make sense from a livestock producer’s point of view (for example, how does “Electrical Conductivity” affect water safety?). Other important tests for bacteria (coliforms), pesticides, and blue-green algae that can directly affect cattle health are rarely included in a routine water screen. Adding to the problems of water analysis is the fact that water is dynamic. What is sampled today from a creek, pond or well may be completely different from yesterday and may not be the same next week. Similarly, where the sample is taken may not be representative of all available water sources for livestock on a farm. Rate of exposure influences potency; a big drink of water with high levels of nitrate is much more dangerous than the same amount of nitrate consumed from forage grazed over an entire day. Short term exposure to pollutants (days-weeks) may have different effects than long term exposure (months). Given these known challenges, when does it make sense to invest the time and money to test water? If tested, will the results change the way cattle are offered water or will the water need to be purified before it is used?

Testing water quality does make sense in several situations. Any new source of water

should, at minimum, be tested for “suitability” prior to allowing livestock access. When an animal is diagnosed with diseases such as polioencephalomalacia (PEM) from excess sulfur or with nitrate intoxication, investigation of the water source is necessary to see if it is contributing to the problem. If multiple animals are sick or dead and the water source is common to most, if not all, of the cases such as with a blue-green algae bloom in a pond, testing water may be indicated to confirm the source pond or stream. But what about less obvious issues of poor performance (slow weight gain in calves, many cows found open after breeding season) and increased health problems noted in a herd? Growth, reproduction, milk production, and immunity are all related to access to clean water but are also associated with diet, genetics, and management. If there are herd health or performance concerns, digestive upsets (diarrhea) or illnesses with no known cause, or uncharacteristic death loss issues, the first call should be to the veterinarian for a farm visit and physical examination of an affected animal. The veterinarian may use additional diagnostic testing to arrive at a diagnosis or a necropsy of a dead animal may be necessary to point towards water as a possible source. Depending on the water tests selected, the laboratory will specify how the water sample should be collected, the type of container to use, what forms to complete, and how to pack and ship the sample. Typically, water samples are taken in clean plastic or glass jars of at least 1 liter in volume and sealed with a plastic cap (non-metal). If sampling for bacteria, the sample vials should be sterile. Samples are shipped overnight to the laboratory and usually need to be chilled.

Interpretation of water quality reports and how the results relate to problems observed can be challenging at the very least. Generally, a routine water quality test for livestock “suitability” measures the parameters most likely to limit the cattle’s use of the water source. This often includes pH, a measure of salinity, hardness, nitrate, sulfate, iron and manganese levels. Of these, salinity is one of the first results to critically evaluate. “Salinity” is a measure of the saltiness or the dissolved/ suspended particles in a solution. Salinity may be indirectly measured and reported out as total dissolved solids (TDS), total soluble salts (TSS) or electrical conductivity (EC). TDS is approximated by the electrical conductivity (EC) of water. Values above 1000 ppm for either TDS or TSS should be investigated beyond the basic livestock suitability screen. These measures of salinity do not specify what is in the water but high TDS or TSS often means poor tasting water leading to reduced intake. Additional elements in a water analysis may include calcium, magnesium, phosphorus,

potassium, copper, zinc, sodium, and chloride. Certain labs will report total coliform counts and fecal coliforms as measures of bacterial contamination. If concerned about blue green algae, there are a variety of test options to either identify the algae itself (cheaper) or the various algal toxins (expensive). The UKVDL offers two water screens, “anions in water” that includes bromide, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate and sulfate and “metal panelwater” for arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc. Be aware that an organic compound screen must be requested separately to look for potential toxic chemicals such as pesticides and hydrocarbons.

Water test results must be interpreted carefully as laboratories use various methods and differing units of measure. For example, nitrate can be reported as nitrate (NO3), nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), or potassium nitrate (KNO3). These numbers are NOT equivalent, as they represent different chemical structures. Make sure the water reference range used for a particular result matches the type of analysis performed. The concentrations where water pollutants begin to cause livestock health problems vary between scientific publications but, despite this limitation, excellent reference charts have been developed as guides to water quality interpretation. For a complete review of water quality, see UK Extension factsheet ID-170 “Drinking Water Quality Guidelines for Cattle” at http://www2. ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/id/id170/id170.pdf . Once the analysis is complete, decisions can be made on how problems may be addressed. Although municipal or “city” water can be expensive to install, it is the most reliable source of consistently clean water. However, there are other options that can work with proper management. Ponds used for cattle can be fenced off and a pipe installed from the pond to a drinking water tank at the base of the dam. Wells need to be deep, properly graded and capped to prevent surface contamination. Springs and streams should be fenced off and water made available at stream crossings or pumped to nearby tanks. If clean water is unavailable, possible water treatments include disinfection, water softening, reverse osmosis, distillation, ion exchange and filtration depending on the problems identified. Chlorine (bleach) remains an inexpensive yet effective disinfectant. See https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ANR-12 for guidelines on algae control in water tanks. Distillation, reverse osmosis and ion exchange will reduce sulfates, nitrates and minerals in water but these purification processes can be costly to install and maintain.

Water is considered one of the cheapest and most readily available nutrients, but it is often the most overlooked. Consumption can reach as high as 15-20 gallons per day for a beef cow during hot weather depending on her age, breed, stage of pregnancy or lactation, diet, and the temperature and humidity. There are many possible contaminants in source waters and their potential interactions with livestock production are complex. Some constituents are directly toxic to livestock at certain levels, others may change the availability of key nutrients, others may contribute to palatability issues that indirectly impact livestock production. Surface and ground water, especially livestock ponds, can be contaminated with microorganisms, chemicals, excessive minerals, and a host of other compounds that keep cattle from reaching optimum production. There are times a producer’s eyes and nose can provide an answer if water is unsuitable for meeting the animal’s needs. Stagnant water with excess algae, water that smells bad, or is warm to the touch will not be readily consumed by cattle. If cattle are allowed to stand in water sources, fecal and urine contamination will decrease water quality and diseases such as leptospirosis and Johne’s can be easily transmitted within the herd. When performed correctly, testing water sources is one tool in the toolbox towards better health and production for the cattle herd.

TRACTORS-FARM MACHINERY-DOZER-TRUCKS

SATURDAY MAY 6th 10:00 AM

LOCATION: 5453 DONALDSON ROAD,

Mt. Sterling, KY

From the By-Pass take Hwy 713 W. (Grassy Lick Rd) 4 miles, turn left then an immediate right onto Donaldson Rd then 1.5 miles on the right. Signs will be posted.

TRACTORS/MACHINERY: 2014 JD #6115m c/h/a, 4 wd w/310 loader & bucket, 2901 hrs; 2005 JD #6420 c/h/a, 4x4 w/640 loader/bucket, 4058 hrs; forks & hay spikes for both tractors sold separately; 1990 JD #650 G dozer, 4712 hrs. good undercarriage; 1996 JD #310D backhoe, cab, 4x4, 5111 hrs; 2006 #S-300 Bobcat skid steer, cab. bucket, 656 hrs; other attachments sold separately; 1991 IH #4900 dump truck; 1987 #7000 GMC truck (doesn’t run); 2002 Sure Pull 6 ton trailer, new tires; 2017 NH #560 Roll-Belt 5x6 hay roller; 2013 Wilson Ranch Hand Aluminum 24 ft. livestock trailer; 2015 Kubota 1120D side/side; Honda Rincon 4x4; Honda Foreman S 4x4; Kubota ZD-331 Zero Turn mower 72” cut, diesel; Land Pride RC 3715 15 ft. rotary mower; NH #185 tandem manure spreader; Vermeer VR 1022 hay rake; Kuhn #310 GMD 10 ft. disc mower; Gehl #1165 9 ft. disc mower; Land Pride #APS 1586 3 pt seeder; Seed mixer; Kory 3 ton gravity wagon; AGCO 4 basket hay tedder; 22 ft. EZ Trail #1074 hay wagon; Bush Hog 20’ mower -needs repair; Two 3 pt. hitch cone seeders; 8’ Level-All grader box; 7’ grader blade; 10 ft. Tufline tandem disc; 2 diesel tanks, 1000 gal/275 gal.; 2 concrete precast livestock water tank; one 2 ft. chain drag; three 8 ft. and one 12 ft creep feeders on wheels; feed troughs; lot of 8” Class 4 sewer pipe; some galvanized corrugated and steel piping, fittings; a large bin of hard Grade #8 bolts; electric pipe threader; Bosch worm driven saw; pipe laser; Angle drills; rebar bender; Bosch hammer drill; 1” drive impact air driven; 2 Makita hammer drills; chain saws; shop press; concrete vibrator; Upright IR air compressor; steel workbench. Wagon loads of small farm and construction related tools, hardware and items too numerous to mention.

ATTN: FARMERS YOU WILL NEED A KY AG. SALES TAX EXEMPTION NUMBER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR SALES TAX EXEMPTION.

$275 EACH

TERMS: Cash or Approved Check Day of Sale. ON-SITE AUCTION. Announcements Day Of Sale Take Precedence Over Printed, Electronic or Verbal Advertising.

NOTE: This is a very good line of farm machinery. Mr. McNabb was in the construction and farming business for over 54 years and has retired. Most was bought new by the seller and shed kept and is well maintained. SELLING FOR THE HIGH DOLLAR! Come spend the day with us. Refreshments/Restrooms will be available. Agents will be on site Friday, MAY 5th, 1:00-6:00 pm. Viewing other times by appointment. See www.auctionzip.com for more photos and info and call Edwin Burden at 859-398-0143.

AUCTIONEERS: Edwin O. Burden, Mickey Staton, Allen “Buck” Prewitt

~Seller~ McNABB FARMS (Raymond McNabb)

Commissioner Quarles Applauds Passage of Bill That Modernizes Veterinary Care

HB 167 WAS SIGNED INTO LAW MARCH 24

FRANKFORT, KY (March 27, 2023) – A bill that modernizes veterinarian licensure in Kentucky is being applauded by Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Ryan Quarles.

House Bill 167 (HB 167) updates and creates new sections of KRS Chapter 321, the statutory chapter creating the Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners (KBVE) and mandating licensure for the professions of veterinary medicine, ensuring public protection for animal owners across the commonwealth.

“Veterinarians across the state, including large-animal vets that service our agricultural herds and flocks, play a key role in keeping our animals healthy,” said Commissioner Quarles. “Making sure the statutes that guide KBVE in its role is up-to-date is important for the public health and protection.”

KBVE, which doesn’t receive any general fund tax appropriation, is funded through fees associated with the licensing and registration of its professionals. Although KBVE is an independent government agency, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture provides administrative support to the board and the Commissioner of Agriculture is a permanent board member.

“The passage of the Kentucky Veterinary Medicine Practice Act Modernization bill was the result of a remarkable collaborative effort,” KBVE Chairman Steven J. Wills, DVM, said. “HB167 elevates the

practice of veterinary medicine in the commonwealth, while offering more protections for citizens. With gratitude, we thank bill sponsor Rep. Matt Koch, and Sen. Jason Howell for carrying this bill. We extend thanks to Commissioner Ryan Quarles for the partnership between the KBVE and the Department of Agriculture, including administrative resources and support to the board. Finally, all of this could not have been accomplished without the leadership of our executive director, Michelle Shane, who provided guidance and direction to the board in crafting this legislative package.”

HB 167 includes a number of critical updates to KRS Chapter 321, including:

• Establishing a framework for the safe and effective use of telehealth in veterinary medicine;

• Creating a veterinary facility registration and a voluntary inspection program by 2025;

• Implementing a new credential for allied animal health professionals working in animal chiropractic;

• Establishing an educational awards program to incentivize new graduates to work in rural areas and food animal species;

• Requiring criminal background checks on new applicants;

ANTIBIOTIC MARKETING CHANGES COMING ON JUNE 11, 2023

Over the counter (OTC) medically important antibiotics for animals will require a prescription from your veterinarian.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine Guidance for Industry (GFI) #263 seeks to improve antibiotic stewardship by transitioning over the counter medically important antibiotics to prescription only. These medications will require a prescription from a licensed veterinarian for legal use and livestock producers will need an established veterinarianclient-patient relationship (VCPR) before purchasing prescription antibiotics.

For more information visit NCBA.org/antibiotics or scan the QR code.

• Requiring minimum standards for medical records and veterinary facilities; and

• Increasing board authority over those in violation of the Practice Act and those offering veterinary services without a board credential.

"HB167 is the result of the KBVE and KVMA working in partnership to benefit the veterinarian community and citizens of the commonwealth,” Rep. Koch said. “These organizations worked to ensure that every veterinarian had the opportunity to have his or her voice heard. They brought together key stakeholders to make this bill right for Kentucky. Everyone did a fantastic job collaborating on this effort, and I’m happy that we were able to get HB 167 across the finish line.”

During the Senate Agriculture Committee hearing President Pro Tempore Sen. David Givens said, “Thank you for engaging all the stakeholders. This is the way legislation is supposed to be done. It’s not easy, but it’s important. So, thank you.”

Prior to this year’s bill, the Kentucky Veterinary Medicine Practice Act had not been updated for more than 30 years. HB 167 was the culmination of two years of research including in-depth review of two national Practice Act Models and existing laws in key states. KBVE consulted with the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association (KVMA), the Kentucky Veterinary Technician Association (KVTA), and other key stakeholders throughout 2022, hosting 15 stakeholder meetings, both regional and species specific. The compiled feedback was used to refine the proposed draft, providing a comprehensive piece of legislation that better protects consumers and provides members of the profession transparent frameworks in which to conduct business.

Dr. James Weber, KVMA Governmental Relations Chair, also praised the bill’s passage. “Many thanks to Rep. Koch for being the primary sponsor of HB 167. Thank you also to the General Assembly and the many animal health related groups for understanding the need for changes and then helping to rewrite the Veterinary Practice Act. These updates will aid in addressing the veterinary practitioner shortage in Kentucky.”

U.S. CATTLE PRODUCERS SUPPORT SENATE LEGISLATION TO REPEAL DEATH TAX

WASHINGTON (March 30, 2023) – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) strongly supports legislation introduced today by Sen. John Thune (R-SD) to repeal the federal estate tax, commonly referred to as the Death Tax.

“No cattle producer should ever be forced to sell their family’s farm or ranch to pay a tax bill due to the death of a family member. Repealing the Death Tax is a commonsense way to keep the farm or ranch in the family,” said NCBA President and South Dakota cattle producer Todd Wilkinson. “As a land-based, capital-intensive industry, most cattle producing families are asset-rich and cash-poor, with few options to pay off tax liabilities. It is unacceptable that some families are forced to sell off land, farm equipment, parts of the operation, or the entire ranch to pay the estate tax. We need a tax code that promotes the continuation of family-owned businesses instead of breaking them up.”

Ensuring a farm or ranch can be passed to children or grandchildren is a priority for family-owned farms, ranches and agricultural businesses. It is critically important that producers and business owners have permanent relief from the Death Tax. Current Death Tax relief is set to expire at the end of 2025, and it is vital that Congress takes immediate action to provide permanent relief for agricultural families. NCBA is committed to working with Senator Thune and members of the Senate and House, those who support American cattlemen and women and rural communities to kill the Death Tax.

NCBA STATEMENT CORRECTING INTERNET FALSEHOODS ABOUT MRNA VACCINES IN CATTLE

WASHINGTON (April 5, 2023) – Today, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) released a statement in regard to false information circulating on social media about the use of mRNA vaccines in cattle:

"There are no current mRNA vaccines licensed for use in beef cattle in the United States. Cattle farmers and ranchers do vaccinate cattle to treat and prevent many diseases, but presently none of these vaccines include mRNA technology."

NCBA CALLS FOR CONTINUED BAN ON PARAGUAYAN BEEF IMPORTS

WASHINGTON (March 27, 2023) – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to continue blocking Paraguay from importing beef to the U.S. in response to USDA releasing a proposed rule that would grant access to Paraguayan beef imports. “USDA’s proposed rule to allow Paraguayan beef imports into the U.S. is based on 9-year-old data and site visits that occurred in 2008 and 2014. Paraguay has a history of outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), and we cannot jeopardize the safety of U.S. consumers and the health of our U.S. cattle herd with outdated information,” said NCBA Executive Director of Government Affairs Kent Bacus. “The United States has the highest animal health and food safety standards in the world because we rely on the most up-to-date information and the highest science-based standards. USDA should not proceed with this application until a thorough review can be conducted with current information that demonstrates Paraguay’s equivalence in animal health and food safety standards.”

NCBA SLAMS FDA COMMISSIONER’S COMMENTS ON CELL CULTURED MEAT

WASHINGTON (March 29, 2023) – Today, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane slammed Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf’s comments regarding cell cultured meat that he made during a hearing on the FDA’s fiscal year 2024 budget request:

“By his own admission, the FDA’s role is to ensure food safety, but Commissioner Califf’s comments today indicate that he intends to bring his agency into climate and environmental discussions while promoting cell cultured meat. This viewpoint is extremely disappointing to America’s cattle producers whose stewardship of the land already does more to protect our environment than fake meat production ever will. We appreciate Congresswoman Letlow shining a light on these concerning issues at FDA and hope that Commissioner Califf will reverse course and coordinate with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the regulation of these cell cultured substitutes.”

Background

Today, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. During the hearing, Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) asked the Commissioner how the agency plans to coordinate with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on pre-market consultation for reviewing cell cultured chicken products. In his answer, Commissioner Califf referenced climate change and the need for additional cell cultured research as a way to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed in 2019, USDA and FDA have joint jurisdiction over fake meat products, with USDA taking the lead on enforcing accurate labeling and food safety. This memorandum was supported by NCBA because of USDA’s expertise in food inspections and labeling.

When FDA announced its second pre-market consultation for cell cultured chicken last week, the agency said that it is “ready to work with additional firms that are developing cultured animal cell food” and “will issue guidance to assist firms that intend to produce human food made from cultured animal cells.” These statements are highly concerning and indicate FDA’s desire to promote additional cell cultured meat products.

NCBA GRATEFUL FOR SENATE PASSAGE OF RESOLUTION TO STOP WOTUS RULE

URGES PRESIDENT BIDEN TO SIGN RESOLUTION AND END WOTUS RULE

WASHINGTON (March 30, 2022) – Today, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Todd Wilkinson, a South Dakota cattle producer, released a statement commending the U.S. Senate for passing a resolution to stop the Biden administration’s latest Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule:

“The bipartisan passage of this resolution sends a clear message to the Biden administration that this is not how Congress intended to implement the Clean Water Act. Now, President Biden has a choice: he can sign the resolution and pull back the unlawfully vague WOTUS rule, or he can veto it and turn his back on rural America. I am especially proud of my fellow cattle producers from across the country speaking up to make our voices heard. Together, we wrote more than 1,900 letters to senators calling for a vote on this resolution. Our advocacy made a crucial impact.”

Selling 225 Fall Calving Bred Heifers

Saturday, May 20, 2023 12:00 Noon Central Time

Kentucky - Tennessee Livestock Market

Guthrie, Kentucky

All heifers qualify for both Kentucky and Tennessee Cost Share Programs

See these heifers at: www.kyheifersale.com

For more information contact:

Kevin Laurent, University of Kentucky (270) 625-0994

Mark Barnett, KY-TN Livestock Market (931) 624-7176

Tom Barnett, KY-TN Livestock Market (931) 624-7376

Study Demonstrates Red Meat Exports’ Value to Corn and Soybean Industries

A record value of beef and pork exports brought significant returns to the U.S. corn and soybean industries in 2022, according to an independent study conducted by World Perspectives, Inc. and released by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). U.S. pork and beef exports contributed an estimated total economic impact of 15% per bushel to the value of corn and 13% per bushel to soybeans in 2022, according to the study.

“For every bushel of corn we marketed in 2022, a little over $1 was attributed to red meat exports and with soybeans, pork exports contributed $1.94 per bushel,” says USMEF Chair Dean Meyer, who produces corn, soybeans, cattle and hogs near Rock Rapids, Iowa. “Pork and beef exports bring critical support to our bottom lines.”

Corn and soybean growers support the international promotion of U.S. pork, beef and lamb by investing a portion of their checkoff dollars in market development efforts conducted by USMEF.

“We are a major exporter of corn and soybeans but this study reminds us of the value of our indirect exports of corn and soybeans through pork and beef,” says Dave Juday, senior analyst for World Perspectives. “The contributions of pork and beef exports to the per-bushel value of U.S. corn and soybeans in 2022 were the highest estimates we’ve seen to date. And that was critically important, as corn and soybean farmers worked to maintain margins with higher input costs across the board.” Key findings from the study, which utilized 2022 statistics provided by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and data analysis by World Perspectives, include:

Exporting corn through U.S. beef and pork

• Beef and pork exports accounted for 503.4 million bushels of U.S. corn usage, which equated to a market value of $3.4 billion (at an average corn price of $6.75 per bushel).

• Beef and pork exports accounted for 3.42 million tons of DDGS usage, equating to $834 million (at an average price of $244 per ton).

• Beef and pork exports contributed an estimated total economic impact of 15%, or $1.01, of bushel value in 2022 at an average price of $6.75 per bushel.

Exporting soybeans through U.S. pork

• Pork exports accounted for 89.7 million bushels of U.S. soybean usage, which equated to a market value of $1.33 billion (at an average price of $14.83 per bushel).

• Pork exports contributed an estimated total economic impact of 13% of bushel value, or $1.94, in 2022 at an average price of $14.83 per bushel.

Handouts detailing the impact of red meat exports at the national level and on the leading corn-producing and soybeanproducing states are available from the USMEF website.

Summer Annual Grasses: High Quality Summer Grazing, but at What Cost?

Chris Teutsch UK Grain and Forage Center of Excellence, Princeton, Kentucky

In summer months cool-season grass growth is limited by not only moisture, but also temperature. Once leaf temperature exceeds 70 F, photosynthesis in cool-season grasses becomes less efficient. In contrast, warm-season grasses do not reach peak photosynthesis until a leaf temperature is 90 to 100 F. In practical terms this means that warm-season grasses have the potential to respond to summer rainfall, where as coolseason grasses cannot due to temperature limited growth.

Warm-season annual grasses can provide safe and relatively high-quality forage when properly managed. Advantages to using summer-annuals include fast germination and emergence, rapid growth, high productivity, and flexibility of utilization. Disadvantages include the high cost of annual establishment and the increased risk of stand failure due to variable rainfall in late spring and early summer when annuals are being established.

The primary summer-annual grasses grown in Kentucky include sudangrass, sorghumsudangrass, pearl millet, and to a lesser extent crabgrass (see AGR-229 Warm-Season Annuals in Kentucky for a description of these species). Approximately one-third to one-half acre will provide adequate grazing for one mature animal during the critical summer months. Seeding one-half of the acreage as early as possible and the remainder four to six weeks later can extend the useful period of these supplemental forages. In order to optimize production, summer annual grasses should receive 60 to 80 lb nitrogen per acre at seeding and 40 to 60 lb nitrogen per acre after each grazing or harvest.

The most efficient way to utilize summer annual grasses is by grazing. These grasses should be rotationally stocked to maximize production and utilization. The grazing area should be restricted to supply only enough forage for one to three days. This will result less waste and allow animals to be removed from the area before regrowth accumulates. Grazing should be initiated when summer annuals have reached a height of 20 inches. It is important to leave adequate stubble if regrowth is desired, never graze closer than 5-7 inches. This especially important for pearl millet which depends more on terminal buds for regrowth.

In some cases summer annual grasses cannot be grazed or get ahead of the animals under good growing conditions. In these cases, summer annuals may need to be harvested as hay or silage. Harvesting summer annuals as round bale silage eliminates the problems associated with curing summer annuals for dry hay. If dry hay is the only option, then the following suggestions will help to ensure

that rapid and successful curing is achieved: 1) do not allow forage to become overly mature, cut at 30-40 inches in height, 2) always use a mower-conditioner to crush stems, 2) make mower swaths as wide as possible to maximize surface area for drying, and 4) do not windrow forage until plants on top of the swaths are dry enough to bale.

Economics of Summer Annual

The economics of utilizing summer annuals can be questionable. At current seed and fertilizer prices, planting and grazing an acre of summer annual grasses will likely cost more than $200 (Table 1). The expected yield of summer annual grasses will be 2-3 ton/A. If we use the mid-point of 2.5 ton/A, utilization rate of 60% (some forage gets trampled), and a daily dry matter intake of 30 lb/cow/day, we should get around 100 grazing days per acre. This makes the cost for each grazing day around $2.

The alternative would be feeding hay during the summer months. If we can purchase decent quality hay at $100/ton and have a feeding cost $20/ton the total cost would be $120/ton. At a dry matter of 90%, feeding and storage losses of 10% (which is probably low), and dry matter intake of 30 lb/cow/day every ton of hay should give use around 54 feeding days making the cost of feeding hay $2.25/day. In this example summer annuals are little

cheaper than the alternative of buying and feeding hay in the summer and will almost always have a higher forage quality. The question becomes, do dry brood cows need high quality summer forage? In most cases, the quality of well managed summer annuals would exceed the requirements of dry brood cows. In addition, we have not considered the fertilizer value of buying and feeding hay. Every ton of hay contains approximately 40 lb N, 15 lb P2O5, and 50 lb K2O. At current fertilizer prices the value of these nutrients are $63. We will never capture the entire value of these nutrients, but with good hay feeding management, we could capture around 60% or $38/ton of hay fed.

So where does this leave us with summer annuals? Here are my thoughts:

1) Summer annuals can provide high quality summer grazing, but it comes at a cost.

2) The quality of summer annuals will likely exceed the needs of dry beef cows.

3) The best use of summer annuals will be to reclaim drastically disturbed areas in pastures and as a transition crop between perennial forage crops.

I wish there were always easy and clear answers, but there seldom are. The best thing that you can do is to sharpen your pencil and get the calculator out and see what makes sense for your operation!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Table 1. Approximate cost of planting summer annuals.

FEATURED PUBLICATION

This month’s featured publication is AGR229 Warm Season Annual Grasses in Kentucky by Chris Teutsch, Ray Smith, Tom Keene, and Jimmy C. Henning. It can be found at http://www2.ca.uky.edu/ agcomm/pubs/AGR/AGR229/AGR229. pdf or by visiting your local extension office.

FEATURED VIDEO

This month’s featured video is Economics of Summer Annual Mixes by Kelly Mercier. This poster was given at the 2021 American Forage and Forage and Grassland Council Virtual Annual Meeting held on January 11-12, 2021. AFGC, Berea, KY. https://youtu. be/8e0jM4GGuJo

FENCING TIP

Properly build fence brace assemblies. Regardless of the type of fence that you are putting up, the brace assembly is the heart of the fencing system. The most recommended brace assembly for our region is the H-brace. The brace post and corner post should be a CCA treated post that is 6-8 inches in diameter and 8 feet in length and should be driven small end down. The brace rail should be a CCA treated post that is 5 inches in diameter and 10 feet in length. The brace rail should be pinned with ½ inch Class III Galvanized pins that are 4 and 10 inches in length. The brace wire should be two wraps of a 170,000 psi Class III Galvanized high tensile wire that is tightened with a heavy duty in-line ratcheting strainer. After tensioning, the brace wires should be pulled together by loosely wrapping piece of high tensile wire on each side of the strainer and pushing the wraps toward the post. To learn how to properly build a brace, make plans to attend the Kentucky Fencing Schools that will be held in October.

FORAGE MANAGEMENT TIPS

• Seed warm season annual grasses once soil temperature reaches 60o F.

• Clip, graze or make hay to prevent seedhead formation in cool season pastures.

• Rotate cool season pastures when residual is 3-4 inches.

• Consider temporary electric fencing to sub-divide larger pastures and exclude areas for mechanical harvesting.

• Scout pastures for summer annual weeds and control when small.

• Make plans to attend summer forage tours and fencing schools in the fall.

Cattlemen's Beef Board Op-Ed: Beef Producers Must Share Their Environmental Stories

My family has been farming and ranching outside of Corinne, Utah since 1900 – that’s 123 years, when you do the math. Today, JY Ferry & Son, Inc. is a farming, feeding, ranching, and wetlands/wildlife operation. My brother Ben, my son Joel and I jointly manage our land resources with a cooperative and sustainable approach.

Holistic synergy is what we seek on a daily basis. We’ve always believed that the land itself is the greatest resource any farming or ranching operation has. And as a member of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) and co-chair of the Beef Checkoff’s Consumer Trust Committee, I know that consumers are very concerned with beef’s environmental impact. As a beef producer, I also know I must do my part to let those consumers know how much we care about our land, our animals and our environmental responsibility.

Our property is literally where agriculture, wetlands and wildlife habitat proactively intersect. We farm and graze our cattle on a 150,000-acre footprint. Our cattle feed on phragmites, a locally invasive wetlands plant. The grazing in wetlands helps manage the plant’s population and prevents it from crowding out other beneficial plant life that is so critical to wetland wildlife. The cows are eating these plants which are inedible to humans and turning them into high-quality beef. Furthermore, the grazing strategy brings the phragmites spread under control without the use of expensive chemical sprays.

We’ve also taken numerous measures to improve water efficiency throughout our operation. We do everything we can to be sustainable – something people who buy all their food at the supermarket don’t always have the opportunity to see. And I’m certainly not the only beef producer who takes these types of measures.

The Checkoff-funded Meat Demand Monitor surveys 2,000 people monthly on their meat preferences and views. Taste, freshness, price and safety remain consumers’ most important considerations when purchasing proteins. And while the climatepositive trend is a movement that beef producers like me know all too well, these are the true factors that consumers continue to find more important than beef’s environmental impact. Still, the Beef Checkoff is committed to providing education and correcting misinformation about beef and the environment while gaining consumers' confidence.

The first step is investing in extensive, science-backed research. The Beef Checkoff continuously funds third-party, objective research projects that prove the beef industry's environmental responsibility. Through this research, we can provide sciencevalidated sustainability indicators that benchmark the industry's current status and provide a path forward toward continuous

improvement. By taking an objective, scientific approach, this program helps create a sustainable beef product for a growing world population while also building consumer confidence in beef.

From there, we try to stay ahead of issues that impact consumer perceptions through a two-pronged effort of education and outreach. Our ultimate goal is to connect and engage with people before false or misguided information about beef production practices spreads. Then, we can share what the facts that our research has uncovered. Here are just a few examples of what we’ve been doing to educate and inform others about beef production:

Developing educational units for middle and high schools: By connecting with young minds, the Checkoff can educate tomorrow’s beef consumers today. Educational units focus specifically on greenhouses gasses and cattle, as well as general beef production and genetics.

Hosting On The Farm STEM events: The Beef Checkoff funds annual educator immersion events designed to bring inner city teachers to real, working farms to learn about beef production. In 2022, the educators who participated in the tour shared their experiences with more than 70,000 urban students.

Taking part in New York City Climate Week: Beef was front and center in September 2022 during Climate Week, the largest global climate event. Checkoff-funded Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. hosted a webinar on beef being an ultimate climatesmart food and shared the truth behind emissions.

Collaborating with the Beef Expert Network: The 22 influencers who make up the Checkoff’s Beef Expert Network are all passionate about sharing beef’s story and connecting with their audiences to address misinformation surrounding beef. Sharing information via digital campaigns: Checkoff-funded digital campaigns on Connect TV, YouTube, websites and social platforms encourage consumers to “rethink the ranch.” Real beef producers share their beef stories and how they care for their cattle and land.

Most cattle operations are far removed from the mainstreams of today’s society. We producers are most comfortable on our ranches and farms doing what we do best, supporting our livelihoods and our families as we feed the world. But as fulltime environmentalists, we must speak up when it comes to topics like beef’s impact on land water and air. Unless we share our own true stories, others will control the narrative. First and foremost, we must take extreme care of our land and our cattle. Then, it’s our responsibility to tell others about our efforts. Learn more about facts about beef and the environment at beefresearch.org.

John Ferry Corinne, Utah. Co-Chair, Consumer Trust Committee; National Winner, NCBA Environmental Stewardship Award Program

More Corn and Wheat Acres, Fewer Soybean Acres

LOUISVILLE, KY – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released the Prospective Plantings report today, showing Kentucky farmers intend to grow more corn, wheat and burley tobacco acres, while indicating a slight decline in the number of soybean acres.

Farmers in Kentucky intend to plant 1.60 million acres of corn, 160,000 higher than 2022. U.S. corn growers intend to plant 92.0 million acres for all purposes in 2023, up 4 percent from last year.

Soybean acreage in Kentucky was expected to total 1.90 million acres, down 50,000 acres from the previous year. U.S. soybean planted area for 2023 is estimated at 87.5 million acres, up slightly from last year.

Burley tobacco growers in Kentucky intend to set 31,000 acres for harvest, up 3,000 acres from 2022. For the burley producing states, growers intend to set 35,370 acres, 9 percent above last year.

Producers intend to set 8,100 acres of dark-fired tobacco in Kentucky, down 1,700 acres from the previous year. Acreage set to dark-air tobacco was estimated at 5,000 acres, down 800 acres from 2022.

Winter wheat seeded by Kentucky farmers in the fall of 2022 totaled 610,000 acres, up 80,000 acres from previous year. Seeded acreage for the nation was 37.5 million acres, up 13 percent from 2022.

Farmers in the state intend to harvest 2.08 million acres of all hay, up 50,000 from 2022. U.S. farmers intend on harvesting 50.6 million acres of hay in 2023, up 2 percent from last year.

Data for the Prospective Plantings report is collected from a sample of farmers during the first two weeks of March. The Acreage report will be published June 30.

Flip That Cow: How Can We Add Value To Market Cows?

Brittany Davis Ph.D., Research Animal Scientist

Jennifer Weinert-Nelson Ph.D.; Animal Scientist Research Associate

Tracy Hamilton Agriculture Research Technician

As of 2023, Kentucky has maintained the title of the largest beef cattle and cow state east of the Mississippi. Kentucky is home to 1.93 million cattle including 895,000 beef cows accounting for an impressive 46% of the total cattle inventory in the state. Typically, when you think of a beef cow you think of her role in supplying and rearing calves, but what happens to that mama when she is no longer of value in that capacity due to any number of reasons? Just like any other class of cattle, cows enter the food chain. Although, marketing cull cows is often an afterthought for producers, these cows make up a significant part of the beef supply and revenue for the cattle industry. Some economists have estimated that market cows can account for as much as 15 – 25% of returns for beef cow-calf operators. Purchasing or keeping market cows for the purpose of adding value may be a viable option for cattle producers. When an underconditioned cow hasn’t bred back, typically, we would choose to load her up after her calf has been weaned, getting her on the trailer and down the road. However, in some instances it might be worth hanging on to those cows and adding some value before sending them to market. With the recent trend in the cattle markets of fairly high fat cattle prices, keeping these cows and feeding them to improve their condition could be another way to add to an operation’s overall bottom line. Alternatively, in years with high feeder calf prices and tight supply, market cows could provide another option for producers to utilize plentiful pasture in the spring and fall. In some cases, grazing market cows as opposed to stockers may offer a lower-risk option. Cows may have less health problems, and with some good and strategic pasture management, grazing can add significant value to these cows and increased profit for producers. Research conducted as part of an ongoing collaboration between Kentucky Beef Network (KBN), a division of Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association (KCA) and our research team at the USDAARS, Forage-Animal Production Research Unit sought to answer the question of how producers can most efficiently ‘Flip That Cow’ for the greatest profit.

Eden Shale Market Cow Study – 2018 & 2019

If you have ever visited Eden Shale Farm for a tour or field day you may have had the opportunity to visit the paddocks. The 23, ~2.0 acre paddocks at Eden Shale are located on steep hillsides making them nearly impossible to renovate and contain predominantly HOT endophyte-infected (E+)

tall fescue. Although, a bit treacherous to spread fertilizer on, the Eden Shale paddocks are a great representation of your typical KY cattle pasture. These paddocks have been used for the last 30+ years first by University of Kentucky and now by KBN to evaluate and demonstrate grazing management strategies for preventing fescue toxicosis. So, what do we do with our E+ tall fescue pastures when we cannot renovate? There are several different grazing and pasture management strategies that can be used to prevent or reduce fescue toxicosis related losses. Two strategies we were interested in evaluating were application of the CORTEVATM agriscience’s herbicide, ChaparralTM, and frost-seeding red clover. Dr. Glen Aiken dedicated years of his research career at USDA-ARS evaluating the use of ChaparralTM herbicide and overseeded clovers for managing fescue toxicosis in backgrounding steers with great success, boasting 0.75 - 1.0 lb/head/day improvements in growth performance. How do these strategies work you ask?

ChaparralTM Herbicide

ChaparralTM contains both aminopyralid and metsulfuron herbicides for broad leaf weed control. An added benefit of ChaparralTM is that metsulfuron can also function as a plant growth regulator. We all understand why we need to control broad leaf weeds, but what benefit does the plant growth regulator provide? Research has shown that metsulfuron specifically targets tall fescue and prevents seed head emergence when applied at a recommended rate and stage of growth, but it does not have the same effect on other more desirable cool season grasses (Figure 1). Tall fescue seed heads contain the highest level of ergot alkaloids (the toxins that cause fescue toxicosis), making them one of the most toxic parts of the plant to grazing cattle. By suppressing seed head emergence, ChaparralTM decreases toxicity, increases forage quality, and can also increase the percentage of other forages in the pasture when applied over multiple years.

Overseeding/Frost-Seeding Clovers

It has long been recognized that cattle grazing E+ tall fescue pastures perform better if there is clover in the pasture (Figure 2). Historically, this has been attributed to improvements in pasture quality and ‘dilution’ of the toxins because cattle have another forage to select. Although, this may be true, our research team at the USDA-ARS, Forage-Animal Production Research Unit has identified phytochemicals present in clovers (most notably red clover)

and other legumes that can increase blood flow, or have a ‘dilation’ effect, preventing fescue toxicosis. These benefits can be seen with frost-seeded red clover, supplemented legumes from a variety of sources, or, as we are currently evaluating this Spring at Eden Shale Farm in collaboration with KBN, when a handful of red clover leaf is supplemented daily in a loose mineral. Stay tuned for future articles on this topic!

Although, these strategies have shown countless benefits in backgrounding steers, will these pasture management strategies work for other classes of cattle like market cows? The goal of this study was to evaluate the use of ChaparralTM herbicide and frost-seeded red clover on adding value to market cows. Prior to the start of the study paddocks were assigned to 3 grazing management treatments: 1. control (spring application of 2-4, D herbicide to remove existing clovers and weeds), 2. ChaparralTM application (applied on 1 May before E+ tall fescue seed head emergence), or 3. frost-seeded Kenland red clover (frost-seeded in Feb, 2018 at 5 lbs seed/ acre; 15 – 30% pasture establishment). All paddocks were predominantly E+ tall fescue with a smaller percentage of orchardgrass, bluegrass, other grasses (bromegrass), and red clover (Figure 3).

Twenty-four market cows from area stockyards were purchased by KBN in mid-May of 2018 and 2019 and brought to Eden Shale Farm. Upon arrival cows were dewormed, weighed, and body condition scored (BCS). Cows were then divided into 6 groups of 4 cows and each group was assigned to a block of 3 grazing paddocks for rotational grazing (rotated every 5 – 7 days). The cows grazed their treatments for ~70 days and were then harvested through Beef Solutions, LLC, which is owned by the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association. In result, both ChaparralTM and frost-seeded red clover were found to be effective and profitable grazing management strategies to add value to market cows grazing E+ tall fescue pastures. Cows grazing both treatments gained 2.4 lbs/head/day and 1.7 lbs/head/d in 2018 and 2019, respectively. In both years market cows ranging in BCS at the start of the study (3.5 - 6) were able to improve an average of 1 full BCS over the short grazing window. In total all market cows increased in value with an average of $117 per head profit in 2018 and $192 per head profit in 2019.

Pasture Management Considerations

Application of herbicides like ChaparralTM and establishing clovers do not go hand

in hand. Therefore, a producer often has to make the difficult choice between weed control and persistence of clovers. Producers are concerned that herbicide application to eliminate broadleaf weeds may kill the existing clovers in their pastures. Here are a few tips to help find the best balance between these two competing pasture management priorities:

• Our research has shown that applying ChaparralTM at 2 oz/acre just before the fescue seed head emerges allows for the optimum amount of grass growth, while still being effective at controlling warm season broadleaf weeds. In Kentucky, this generally means application of herbicide in late April to early May. Pasture grasses, especially tall fescue, will yellow a bit. However, these effects can be minimized, as yellowing occurs to a lesser extent the closer to seed head emergence the herbicide is applied.

• In pastures with heavy weed infiltration, use ChaparralTM for seed head suppression followed by frost seeding of clover the subsequent February. Cleaning up the weeds will allow for more successful establishment of clovers. By following this recommendation, you should have at least two good years from the clover and hopefully less weeds overall in the pasture.

• Consider staggering cycles of seed head suppression and clover establishment across pastures on a farm. Tackling one pasture at a time will keep from tying up all pasture ground on an operation. This strategy also allows for tailoring management based on the condition of each pasture. For example, if weed pressure is substantially greater in one field versus others on the farm, start with that field and conserve resources to time herbicide application and clover establishment in other fields during a later year.

Animal Management Considerations

Market cows that are sound, healthy, and thin offer the best potential for a profitable market cow feeding operation. A number of health-

and nutrition-related factors can impact profit. Market cows purchased from market may carry internal and external parasites (worms, lice, etc.). Cows with heavy parasite loads will not gain weight as efficiently. Therefore, producers may need to consider the need to treat these conditions at receiving as well as associated costs.

Market cows are commonly moved to market after weaning, and, thus, cows purchased for a feeding program are likely to be underconditioned due to demands of the lactation they have just completed. Thinner cows may offer advantages from a profitability standpoint, as compensatory gain can result in more rapid weight gain. While most cows will likely be thin, BCS can vary across a group of cows. Differences in BCS can impact nutritional strategies and for adding weight without leading to excessively fat carcasses at slaughter. In addition to BCS, age of cows may also vary and can influence both nutritional requirements and expectations for the amount and efficiency of weight gain.

In the case of market cows purchased with the intent to add weight through grazing in spring and early summer, there are additional nutritional challenges. These cows must also contend with a dietary transition from stored forage to lush pasture, with a dramatic increase in moisture content as well as changes in the nutritional profile associated with grazing pasture forage. Transition to spring pasture can impact rumen function and animal performance. For example, spring pasture is low in fiber. Inadequate fiber intake results in more rapid rate of passage through the gut, and this means that less forage nutrients are able to be utilized by the cow. Because market cows are underconditioned, are potentially carrying a heavy parasite load, and have just experienced the stressors of hauling to and from market, proper management is especially important during this transition. Key management considerations include:

• Waiting to graze pastures until adequate forage is present to support intake.

• Close monitoring to prevent overgrazing so that enough forage continues to be available for grazing.

• Utilizing supplemental feed to better meet nutritional requirements of market cows grazing spring pasture.

These strategies can help to prevent already underweight market cows from entering negative energy balance and losing additional weight. These practices can also ensure that cows start gaining weight as quickly as possible, shortening the feeding time required before cows can return to market.

Market cow prices exhibit strong seasonal trends. Prices are generally lowest in late winter and peak in early July. This seasonal fluctuation in price makes efficiency of gain and timing of marketing even more critical in order to profitably sell market cows. Producers

Red clover pasture on a beautiful Kentucky day

Pasture botanical composition of (a) control and ChaparralTM herbicide treated paddocks and (b) red clover frost-seeded paddocks.

 Tall Fescue  Red Clover  Blue Grass  Orchard Grass  Other Grass  Weeds

Stocker Outlook for 2023

Greg Halich and Kenny Burdine Associate Extension Professors

Spring has officially arrived in the Commonwealth, which always brings questions about stocker profitability. Calf prices typically increase seasonally as we move into spring, but have increased at a largerthan-normal rate since the end of 2022. On a state average basis, a medium/large frame #1-2 steer in March has sold for over $40 per cwt more than that same steer in December. While it is likely that some stocker operators purchased calves early, to get ahead of the seasonal spring price increase, most will place calves into stocker programs in the coming weeks. At the time of this writing (March 21st), fall 2023 CME© feeder cattle futures were trading around $220 per cwt, which is roughly a $25 per cwt premium over the April contract. It’s hard to remember a year with this much carry on the feeder cattle board between spring and fall. This suggests that heavy feeder cattle prices should increase throughout 2023, which partially explains the sharp increases being seen in calf prices. Still, high calf prices have many stocker operators questioning whether profit opportunities will exist for 2023.

The purpose of this article is to assess the likely profitability of summer stocker programs for 2023 and establish target purchase prices for calves based on a range of return levels. While it is impossible to predict where feeder cattle markets will end up this fall, producers need to estimate this and not rely on the current price (March) for 750-850 lb feeder calves. The fall CME© feeder cattle futures price (adjusted for basis) is the best way to estimate likely feeder cattle prices for fall. Grazing costs including pasture costs, veterinary and health expenses, hauling, commission, etc. are estimated and subtracted from the expected value of the fall feeders. Once this has been done, a better assessment can be made of what can be paid for stocker cattle this spring in order to build in an acceptable return to management, capital, and risk.

Key assumptions for the stocker analysis are as follows: 1) Graze steers April 1 to October 15 (197 days), 1.4 lb/day gain (no grain feeding), 2% death loss, and 7% interest on the calf. The interest rate used in this analysis may seem high for producers who are self-financed or have very low interest rates, but is likely pretty close for those going through traditional lenders. Given these assumptions, sale weights would be 775 lbs and 875 lbs for 500 lb and 600 lb purchased calves, respectively. Using a $220.50 CME© futures contract price for October 2023 to estimate sale price, a 775 lb steer is estimated to sell for $2.11/b and an 875 lb steer is estimated to sell for $2.08/lb. This estimate uses a -$10 per cwt basis for an

800 lb steer and a $3 per cwt price slide. These sale prices are also based on the assumption that cattle are sold in lots of 40 or more head. Stocker operators who typically sell in smaller lots should adjust their expected sale prices downward accordingly.

Estimated costs for carrying the 500 and 600 lb steers are shown in Table 1. Stocking rates of 1.0 acre per 500 lb steer and 1.2 acres per 600 lb steer were assumed in arriving at these charges. Most of these are self-explanatory except the pasture charge, which accounts for variable costs such as bush-hogging, fertilizer, seeding clovers, etc., and is considered a barebones scenario. Sale expenses (commission) are based on the assumption that cattle will be sold in larger groups and producers will pay the lower corresponding commission rate. However, producers who sell feeders in smaller groups will pay higher commission rates which could exceed $50 per head based on the revenue assumptions of this analysis. Any of these costs could be much higher in certain situations, so producers should adjust accordingly.

Table

Note:

Target purchase prices were estimated for both sizes of steers and adjusted so that gross returns over variable costs ranged from $100-$200 per head. Normally we would use a range of $50-$150 per head, but we feel that given the high feed prices this will be more representative this year. This gives a reasonable range of possible purchase prices for each sized calf this spring. Results are shown in Table 2. For 500 lb steers, target purchase prices ranged from $2.50 to $2.69 per lb. For 600 lb steers, target purchase prices ranged from $2.35 to $2.51 per lb. When targeting a $150 per head gross profit, breakeven purchase prices were $2.59/lb for 500 lb steers and $2.43/lb for 600 lb steers. As an example of exactly how this works for a 500 lb steer targeting a $150 gross profit:

775 lbs steer x $2.11 (expected sale price)$1,635

Total Variable Costs -$188

Profit Target -$150

Target Purchase Cost $1,297

Target Purchase Price = $1297 / 500 lbs = $2.59 / lb

Table 2: Target Purchase Prices for Various Gross Profits 2023

$2.51

$2.64 $2.47

$2.59 $2.43 $175 $2.55 $2.39 $200 $2.50 $2.35

Notes: Based on costs in Table 1 and sales price of $2.11/lb and $2.08/lb for 775 lb and 875 lb sales weight respectively for 500 lb and 600 lb purchase steers.

For heifers, sale price for heavy feeders will be lower than comparably sized steers and they will not generally gain as well. In this analysis, we assumed the price discount for these heifers is $12 per hundredweight lower than the same weight steers and we assumed heifers would gain 10% slower than steers. With these assumptions, purchase prices would have to be $0.26/lb lower for 500 lb heifers and $0.24 lower for 600 lb heifers compared to the steer prices found in Table 2. Thus, when targeting a $150 per head gross profit, breakeven purchase prices were $2.33/lb for 500 lb heifers and $2.19/lb for 600 lb heifers. Your cost structure may be different from that presented in Table 1, and if so, simply shift the targeted gross profit up or down to account for this. If your costs are $25 higher per calf, then you would shift each targeted profit down by one row: For example, you would use the $175 gross profit to estimate a $150 gross profit if your costs were $25 higher. Another way to evaluate this is that a $1 increase in costs would decrease the targeted purchase price by $0.20 per cwt for 500 lb steers and $0.17 per cwt for 600 lb steers.

It is important to note that the gross profits in Table 2 do not account for labor or investments in land, equipment, fencing, and other facilities (fixed costs). Thus, in the long-run, these target profits need to be high enough to justify labor and investment, as well as a management return. Typically, by the time this article is written in late-March, calf prices are approaching levels that would place returns on the upper end of the profit range analyzed. While there is a lot of variation in the price of calves across Kentucky right now, a lot of calves are selling well below many of the target purchase prices estimated in this analysis. This is all the more reason that stocker operators should carefully think through their budgets and make rational purchasing decisions.

There is a tendency for calf prices to reach their seasonal price peak when grass really starts growing in early spring. There is little reason to think this won’t happen in 2023,

which will result in tighter expected margins for stocker cattle placed in the upcoming weeks as those calf prices increase. Two other factors are worth discussion that may impact how strong the calf market gets this spring. First, CME© feeder cattle futures are suggesting that heavy feeder cattle prices will be much higher this fall than what we are seeing today. So, a stocker operator that was using the current market, rather than the futures-based approach taken in this article, would bid much less aggressively on calves this spring. Secondly, feed prices are so high that feedlots likely have almost no interest in purchasing these light calves this spring. That would mean less competition for calves in the marketplace and may prevent calf prices from getting as high

as they would in a more normal feed price environment. While there is no way to know for sure what the next few weeks will bring, there could be significant opportunities for stocker operators to place calves at a favorable margin this spring.

Finally, the placement of calves into stocker programs represents a significant cost and there is always a great deal of uncertainty about fall sale price. For this reason, stocker operators should also consider risk management to protect their potential returns. Forward contracts, futures and options have long been utilized for price risk management and remain viable strategies today. However, there has been a considerable increase in the use of Livestock

Risk Protection (LRP) insurance over the last few years. LRP works similar to a put option in that it provides downside price protection (for a premium), but also allows the producer to capitalize on rising prices. However, it can be purchased in most any quantity, so producers are not tied to 50,000 lb contract sizes as they would be with futures and options strategies. Some recent changes to LRP insurance have made it more attractive, including increases in subsidy levels and no longer requiring premiums to be paid up front. Regardless of what risk management strategy is utilized, time spent considering price risk management is likely time well spent in these volatile markets. The best way to ensure profitability is to budget carefully and to manage downside price risk.

Bale Grazing Grant Comes to Kentucky & Beyond

Greg Halich Associate Extension Professor

“Bale Grazing: A Practical, Low-Cost, and Environmentally-Sound Management Strategy to Winter Beef Cattle”, is a NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant that has been funded for six states – Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, Missouri, Virginia, and New York (see figure 1). The grant started in 2022 and will end February 2028. Bale grazing is a winter-feeding method where bales are set out on pasture and fed in a planned, controlled manner, somewhat like rotational grazing. Temporary electric fencing limits cattle access to those bales that you want fed in the current move. With each move a fence is set up to expose new bales, usually 30-90 feet in front of the previous fence, which is then taken down to allow the cattle access to the new bales. Where hay rings are used, they are rolled from the old bales to the new bales and flipped over into place. The process is typically repeated every 1-7 days. Properly planned, you will not need to use a tractor for months at a time, nutrients will be deposited where they are needed, and cattle will stay clean of mud. Simple, cheap, and effective. The main requirements to making it work are cattle trained to electric fencing, advanced planning, and an open mind.

NRCS is interested in bale grazing because their previous focus for solving the winter feeding problem with beef cattle has been with engineered feeding structures. Bale grazing is a management-based solution but very little previous research has been conducted on bale grazing, and almost none in the eastern US. Bale grazing has historically been used most frequently in the Great Plains area in the US and Canada. The eastern US gets considerably

more rainfall during the winter and bale grazing had to be modified to make it work well here.

This project will provide the much-needed research NRCS desires for the eastern US, and this was likely the main reason the project was funded for $2.3 million. Thus one of the focuses of the project is to collect data that will provide NRCS with the answers to the many questions they have about bale grazing as well as winter feeding in general. NRCS will use the research that comes out of this project to guide policy decisions.

Soil chemistry, forage productivity, and bale grazing’s effect on overall profitability will be evaluated as part of the project. One of the unique attributes of this project is a focus of measuring soil biological activity as part of the soil testing. Soil biological activity is an area that has rapidly developed in the last 4-5 years, and we are learning that improvements in soil biological activity can make available chemical-based fertility that was previously in unavailable forms. It is believed by many proponents of bale grazing that soil biological activity is radiated outward from where bales are fed, and thus when scattered out on pasture can lead to rapid increases in soil biological activity, especially where it has previously been depleted. Another unique attribute of this project is the on-farm focus: All of the research will be conducted on actual farms, in real-

The Agricultural Economics Department publishes the Economic and Policy Update towards the end of each month. Each issue features articles written by extension personnel within the department and other experts across the country.

world settings.

The other major focus of the project is to provide demonstration farms where cattle farmers in the various regions in each state have a farm where they can see bale grazing in action. I have found that seeing is believing when it comes to most farmers implementing new practices. Presentations to farmer groups is helpful, but will never have the same impact as experiencing a new concept like bale grazing on a real farm. As an example, a few years ago I worked with then ANR agent Tommy Yankey in Anderson County with two bale-grazing demonstration farms (funded

CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

Topics will vary greatly but regularly include marketing, management, policy, natural resources, and rural development issues. If you would like to recieve this newsletter by email, please contact Kenny Burdine at kburdine@uky.edu

You can also view current and past issues online at https://bit.ly/2PoHsZj

Co-editors: Kenny Burdine, Alison Davis, and Greg Halich

Figure 1: U.S. map indicating grant project reach in Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, Missouri, Virginia, and New York

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

by a small SARE grant). A third cattle farmer in Anderson County was highly skeptical of the bale grazing concept and told one of those two farmers he was making a major mistake by adopting it. After a year of observing bale grazing on that farm, the third farmer began bale grazing himself, and is now one of the farms that is bale grazing as part of the current NRCS grant. That is the power of on-farm demonstrations.

This project is already having impacts. NRCS

has a half-day session after the main American Forage and Grassland Council annual meeting, and in January 2023 had me present on bale grazing and the bale grazing project. Based on that presentation, an NRCS administrator realized their bale grazing requirements for EQIP funding (currently available only in a few states) require farmers to feed at hay densities that are far too concentrated for conditions in the east. Results and recommendations that come from this grant will continue to advise NRCS on bale grazing protocols. The overall project is being led by me (Greg

Halich) and managed by Samantha Kindred, both in the Department of Agricultural Economics. Jeff Lehmkuhler (Animal Science) and Ray Smith (Plant and Soil Science) are COprincipal Investigators for the project.

We are currently finishing with our first winter bale grazing for the project, but are looking for cattle farms that would like to participate in this project in the next four years. If you are potentially interested, or if you just have questions related to bale grazing, you can contact your county extension agent or you can contact me directly.

Producers “Rev Up” Beef Demand at the Daytona 500

If Kent Robertson wasn’t a NASCAR fan before, he sure is now. Robertson, a cattle dealer and beef producer from Lexington, Kentucky, volunteered his time to work the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. booth at the iconic NASCAR Cup Series season-opener race in Daytona, Florida, February 18-19. With beef producers from across the country present and the Beef Checkoff once again sponsoring the NASCAR Xfinity Series race –The Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.® 300. – beef was center stage at Daytona.

Additionally, campers and tailgaters who sported signs showing they were grilling beef were surprised with beef gear, from steak seasoning packets to shirts and bags. Robertson was surprised and encouraged at the variety of people who considered themselves NASCAR fans. “When I was engaging with the people coming to our booth, they were coming from all walks of life. I met people from Portland to New York City to Switzerland to Brazil to Columbia,” he said. “I couldn’t get over how kind, patient and respectful the people were.”

Direct interaction is paramount because it allows consumers to meet the people who produce beef. “Attendees enjoyed talking about the cattle business and learning about where beef comes from,” Robertson said. “The whole experience allowed me to think back about where we are and what our business is –raising and selling cattle – and the product of that business is beef, so ultimately, our future is those people who buy beef.”

National Promotion

Fueled by the Beef Checkoff with the support of the Federation of State Beef Councils, the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.® 300 race sprinted to its third year at the Daytona International Speedway. From in-person events to commercial production to social media promotion and traditional media outreach, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. was on the racetrack and in the national spotlight. Watch The Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.® 300 recap video.

Claiming the Xfinity prize for the second year in a row, American professional stock car racing driver Austin Hill was greeted with a buckle and a cooler full of beef to close out a week showcasing the values of cattle ranching and beef production.

Producer Involvement

Who better to showcase the values of cattle ranching than beef producers themselves? This event is unique in having real beef producers themselves come to the race and interact with attendees, drivers and the media. For Robertson, this was his first experience with NASCAR.

His role, along with other beef producers from across the U.S., was to work beef’s booth, interact with the thousands of attendees and assist them as they tried their hands at roping, identifying the attributes of various beef cuts and asking their beef industry questions. Attendees could also sample tender brisket sliders served by beef farmers and ranchers.

For those race fans not able to attend in person, a satellite media tour took the tailgate to them. Just two days before the race, awardwinning Chef Ryan Clark, Tucson’s Iron Chef for three consecutive years and Executive Chef for the AAA 4-Diamond and Forbes 4-Star Hotel Casino Del Sol, was live from the track for interviews with TV and radio stations across the country. During those interviews, he shared beef tailgating recipes along with cooking and preparation tips and tricks. Finally, the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand was also showcased nationwide through various advertising efforts before and during the race. In addition to signage on the racetrack, commercials showcased beef to a global audience on the FOXSports1 television network. Ads were also featured on various digital platforms, and billboards could be seen at Daytona International Airport as well as along the highway approaching the speedway. On average, these efforts reached consumers six million times.

A Checkoff Investment

“We have to keep reintroducing beef to people, and while many already love it, we have to keep reminding them it’s there,” Robertson said. “And the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.® 300 is one way to do it in a grand fashion.”

As a beef producer who has been involved with the Kentucky Beef Council for seven years, Robertson is familiar with a common question he often hears from his fellow producers: “Where do all our Checkoff dollars go?” Those producers are concerned that they don’t see many advertisements for beef as they go about their daily lives. His go-to answer is this: “I always ask them, ‘Do I have to sell you on the fact that you would enjoy a steak?’

When the answer is typically no, I respond with, ‘Then why would you expect to see every bit of Checkoff advertising?'”

The Beef Checkoff works to be as efficient and effective with producer dollars as possible. To do that successfully, it invests in hyper-targeted promotion efforts to reach consumers who aren’t fully aware of beef’s great taste and nutrition. This strategy means many producers don’t see Checkoff-funded programs and efforts directly, because they already love beef and know about its many benefits. However, the Checkoff’s Producer Communications Program ultimate mission is to inform producers about the positive impact of Checkoff-funded efforts. Overall, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board dedicates approximately 4.3 percent of the Checkoff’s budget to this program.

“I was originally one of those people who questioned where Beef Checkoff money was going,” Robertson said. “But after I got on the Kentucky Beef Council and got to see all of the cool promotions and exactly where the money is going, I could see it’s money well spent.”

To learn more about the Beef Checkoff funds and how they are distributed, visit: BeefBoard. org/Beef-Checkoff-Funds/

The Beef Checkoff program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.

a member because of the advocacy the association does for me.”-Isaac Thompson

2022-23 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

* MEMBERSHIP YEAR 10/1/22– 9/30/23

*Payments of KCA membership dues are tax deductible for most members as an ordinary and necessary business expense. However, charitable contributions of gifts to KCA are not tax deductible for Federal Income Tax purposes. Due to new IRS regulations, $2.24 of your dues would not be deductible. Approximately $12 of your dues will go towards the monthly publication Cow Country.

PLEASE CHECK THE MEMBERSHIP(S) YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN:

KCA MEMBERSHIP ($30/YR) NEW RENEWAL Membership dues are $30 unless otherwise listed below

KCA COUPLE MEMBERSHIP

To add your spouse, please add $15 to your KCA Membership

KENTUCKY JUNIOR CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION ($10/YR) NEW RENEWAL

I WOULD LIKE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE YOUNG PRODUCER’S COUNCIL

TOTAL MEMBERSHIP:

$ KCA $ KJCA

TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS:

$ CATTLEMEN’S FOUNDATION DONATION (voluntary)

TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED:

$ ALL DONATIONS TO KCF ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE

COUNTY DUES

Dues are $30 except for the counties listed below.

Allen...............................$40

Anderson........................$25

Bourbon.........................$20

Boyle ..............................$35

Bullitt..............................$20

Butler..............................$25

Franklin ..........................$25

Highlands .......................$20

(Boyd, Floyd, Johnson, Lawrence, & Martin)

Hopkins ..........................$35

Laurel.............................$35

Lincoln ...........................$25

Louisville Area ................$20

(Jefferson, & Spencer)

Magoffin .........................$20

Menifee ..........................$25

Mountain........................$25

(Breathitt, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Morgan, Owsley, Perry & Wolfe)

Oldham ..........................$35

Taylor..............................$20

Twin Lakes ......................$20

Warren ...........................$40

Wayne ............................$25

Whitley ...........................$25

Woodford......................$25

IF YOU WOULD ALSO LIKE TO JOIN THE NATIONAL CATTLEMEN’S BEEF ASSOCIATION

The NCBA is now a State Marketing Partner with the KCA. You can pay your dues to both organizations with one check, at the same time.

Kylie Trail Director of Brand Management

May is always an exciting time here in Kentucky! We have fields full of new life frolicking about, horses racing in the most exciting two minutes in sports, but most importantly, we take this month to celebrate our great industry as May is Beef Month! We have so much to celebrate, and we hope you will join in.

This year our theme is “Kentucky's Best Moments Include Beef.” With versatility and eating experience at the forefront of this campaign, we will highlight how beef transforms life experiences, big or small, into meaningful moments. Growing up, whether it was a celebratory meal or just a backyard cookout, we had beef at the center of our plate. This campaign looks to really embody that deeply rooted tradition.

To kick off Beef Month, we will host our Beef Advocacy Summit April 28th & 29th. This is an opportunity to beef up your communication skills for telling your beef story. May is a perfect time to celebrate our industry by telling your story on social media, sharing your farm with community members, or just simply striking up a conversation with a consumer at the meat case. Advocacy comes in so many forms so do what best fits you! If you like advocating on social media, throughout the month we will post weekly prompts to help you tell your story using specific hashtags so be watching @kybeef on Facebook and Instagram.

We are excited to show off KBCs new wheels this month! The Beef Bus is a Ford Transit Van decked out with beef graphics, an awning, stereo system, sink, fridge, prep station, and lots of storage for all of our beef giveaways! This will allow our team to be more efficient as we are on the move, plus now we have a mobile beef billboard for more advertising! Be on the lookout for the Beef Bus at a beef month event near you!

If you have a Beef Month Event you would like us to attend please email ktrail@kycattle.org with the details!

MAY 4-5

Derby Burger Sampling at Kroger Middletown

MAY 9

Beef Night at Kentucky Proud Park UK vs. Tennesse Tech

MAY 11

Hinton Mills Beef Day

MAY 15

Shelby County Beef Day

MAY 20

Louisville Bats Beef Night at the Ballpark

MAY 25

Madison County Beef Day

The GOAT

Louisville’s Brian Capps won the 11th Derby Burger Challenge with the recipe for “The G.O.A.T.” The winning burger is stacked, seasoned with Dan-O’s Seasoning, spicy goat cheese, fig spread, hot honey and spring mix served on a toasted roll. Capps also won the challenge in 2021. Capps said, “I wanted to try something harder for this competition and really challenge myself. I was trying to create flavors from a cheese board and wanted those flavors on a burger.”

A self-proclaimed foodie, Capps says burgers are his favorite food to cook. “It’s just an all-American food that everyone enjoys!”

Forty-eight recipes were submitted for the competition and over 20,000 voted online to choose the top four finalists. A panel of judges selected Capps as the winner after a final cookoff. The entries were judged on taste, appearance, creativity and ease of preparation.

Daniel Dunn of Union, Kentucky, won second place with his bourbon bacon jam burger with spicy sauce. Ira Mowman of Louisville was third with his 80/20 gourmet lavender burger and Brandenburg’s Melissa Thompson came in fourth with Maw’s chili slaw burger.

“The G.O.A.T.” will be featured at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront from April 27 through May 5 and inside Kroger stores April 19th through Derby.

Capps is also receiving a 2023 Derby Festival poster, a pair of VIP tickets to Thunder Over Louisville and a pair of tickets to Republic Bank BourbonVille and a $100 gift certificate to Kroger, a grilling prize package from the Kentucky Beef Council and a year’s supply of Dan-O’s Seasoning.

More information about the Derby Burger Challenge and Past winner can be found at kdf.org/beef

INGREDIENTS

1 pound Kentucky Cattlemen’s® Ground Beef, 80/20

Dan-O’s™ Spicy Seasoning, to taste

2 Private Selection® Golden Brioche Sandwich Buns

2 Tablespoon Divina™ Fig Spread

2 oz. Simple Truth Organic™ Original Goat Cheese, crumbled

Mike’s Hot Honey®, to taste

Kroger® Baby Spring Mix

2 Tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

Lightly shape ground beef into two 8 oz. balls, set aside.

In a cast iron skillet on medium-low heat, melt butter, add buns and toast to golden brown; set aside.

On medium-high heat, add ground beef to skillet, smash with spatula to form a bun-sized patty. Add Dan-O’s Seasoning to taste and cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F using a thermometer. Remove burgers from skillet and allow to rest.

Top each bun with fig spread and add goat cheese on top of each patty. Garnish with spring mix and hot honey.

2023 Derby Burger Challenge™ Winner

Created By Brian Capps, Louisville (makes 2 burgers)

MOJO BEEF KABOBS

Steak cubes are threaded on skewers with lime and onion then grilled to perfection. A sauce of citrus, herbs and spices provides the finishing touch.

INGREDIENTS: 1 beef Top Sirloin Steak Boneless, cut 1 inch thick (1 pound) • 1 teaspoon coarse grind black pepper • 1 large lime, cut into 8 wedges • 1 small red onion, cut into 8 thin wedges • 1 container grape or cherry tomatoes (about 10 ounces)

MOJO SAUCE: 1/4 cup fresh orange juice • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice • 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano • 3 tablespoons olive oil • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley • 1 teaspoon ground cumin • 1 teaspoon minced garlic • 3/4 teaspoon salt

COOKING: Whisk Mojo Sauce ingredients in small bowl. Set aside. Cut beef Top Sirloin Steak into 1-1/4 inch pieces; season with pepper. Alternately thread beef with lime and onion wedges evenly onto four 12-inch metal skewers. Thread tomatoes evenly onto four 12-inch metal skewers. Cook's Tip: To make lime wedges, cut lime crosswise in half. Cut each half into quarters, forming wedges.

When cutting onion into wedges for kabobs, leave root end intact so wedges hold together during skewering. Place kabobs on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill tomato kabobs, covered, about 2 to 4 minutes or until slightly softened, turning occasionally. Grill beef kabobs, covered, 8 to 10 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill 9 to 11 minutes) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning once. Serve kabobs drizzled with sauce.

Recipe adapted from The Healthy Beef Cookbook, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

COWBOY MARINATED SKIRT

STEAK WITH CORN SALAD

Master the grill with this simple but flavorful Skirt Steak recipe. Served alongside an equally delicious corn salad.

INGREDIENTS: 1-1/2 pounds beef Skirt Steak, cut into 4 to 6-inch pieces • 1/4 cup red onion, diced • 1-15 ounce canned corn, rinsed & drained • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in-half • 1/3 cup Italian dressing • 2 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped • 2 teaspoon granulated garlic • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

MARINADE: 2 Tablespoon vegetable oil • 2 Tablespoon fresh lime juice • 3 Tablespoon water • 2 teaspoon garlic, minced • 2 teaspoon sweet paprika • 1-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves • 1 teaspoon garlic powder • 1 teaspoon onion powder • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

COOKING: Combine Marinade ingredients in small bowl. Place beef Skirt Steaks & marinade in food-safe plastic bag; turn steaks to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning occasionally.

Combine tomatoes, corn, red onion, basil, garlic, Italian dressing, salt and pepper in a medium bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cook's Tip: Whole grilled corn on the cobb can be used in place of canned. Place 4 corn cobs on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, 10 to 14 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, 8 to 10 minutes) turning on all sides. Remove corn and let cool.

Carefully cut corn kernels from cob and let cool. Remove steaks from marinade; discard marinade. Place steaks on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, 7 to 12 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, 8 to 12 minutes) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally. Carve steaks diagonally across the grain into thin slices; season with salt, as desired.

GARLIC & HERB STEAK SALAD

The key to this protein-packed salad is coating lean Top Sirloin with a seasoned herb blend before grilling. Serve steak slices over spinach with grilled onions, tomatoes and eggs.

INGREDIENTS: 1 beef Top Sirloin Steak Boneless, cut 3/4 inch thick (about 1 pound) • 1 tablespoon garlic & herb or onion & herb no-salt seasoning • 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices • 6 cups fresh baby spinach • 1 medium tomato, cut into wedges • 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced

DRESSING: 2 tablespoons honey mustard • 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon water • 2 teaspoons garlic & herb or onion & herb no-salt seasoning • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

COOKING: Combine Dressing ingredients in small bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup dressing for salad. Brush remaining dressing on onion slices.

Press 1 tablespoon seasoning blend evenly onto beef Top Sirloin Steak Boneless. Place steak in center of grid over medium, ash-covered coals; arrange onion slices around steak. Grill steak, covered, 7 to 11 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, covered, 8 to 13 minutes) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally. Grill onion 10 to 12 minutes (gas grill times remain the same) or until tender, turning occasionally.

Carve beef into slices. Divide spinach evenly among four plates. Top with steak slices, tomatoes, onions and eggs. Drizzle evenly with reserved 1/4 cup dressing. Cook's Tip: To hard-boil eggs, place eggs in pan and fill with enough water to cover eggs by one inch. Heat just to boiling; cover pan and let eggs stand for 15 minutes. Immediately run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water until completely cooled.

SWEET HAWAIIAN BEEF SLIDERS

Season Ground Beef with Worcestershire sauce before forming mini patties. Grill them up alongside pineapple rings and serve on sweet Hawaiian buns. Island flavor awaits!

INGREDIENTS: 1 pound Ground Beef (95% lean) • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce • 4 canned pineapple slices, drained • 12 Hawaiian sweet or small whole wheat dinner rolls, split • Lettuce

SAUCE: 1/4 cup barbecue sauce • 1/4 cup pineapple preserves • 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

COOKING: Combine Ground Beef and Worcestershire sauce in medium bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Lightly shape into twelve 1/2-inch thick mini patties. Set aside. Combine sauce ingredients in small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

Place patties on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, 8 to 10 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, covered, 9 to 11 minutes) until instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into center registers 160°F, turning occasionally. Cook's Tip: Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F. Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef doneness.

Meanwhile brush pineapple slices with sauce and place on grid around patties. Grill pineapple 4 minutes, turning once and brushing with additional sauce. Remove pineapple, keep warm. Brush burgers with remaining sauce after turning.

Cut each pineapple slice into thirds. Line bottom of each roll with lettuce, top with burger, then with pineapple piece. Close sandwiches.

Meet Your Facilitators

Becky Thompson Director, Kentucky Beef Network

Have you met the Kentucky Beef Network’s boots on the ground yet? Do you know Ben, Charles, Jacob, Jeff, Ron, or Greg? These hardworking men are your Kentucky Beef Network facilitators. If you haven’t met your KBN facilitator, I encourage you to reach out to them and ask them to visit your farm to see what KBN opportunities we could offer you.

KBN’s mission is to assist beef cattle producers, improve animal health, genetics, forages, and marketing opportunities by enhancing producer profitability. All 38,000 cattlemen in Kentucky can benefit from programs and services offered through the KBN.

KBN facilitators are spread throughout the state, come from different backgrounds and production experiences. They are equipped to draw from their own experiences and expertise to help you collect weaning weights on your calves, explain opportunities KBN has with its Preconditioning Value Added Program (PVAP), Master Education Series, or on farm environmental practices. They can also introduce you to your extension agent, conservation district, CAIP program areas, or connect you to a resource to match your need.

From the beginning KBN facilitators had a simple charge; reach as many producers as possible, on an individual basis, and

build relationships that will open the door for helping producers take a step up in management, increase farm gate revenue, and/or plug them into a resource they weren’t aware of. In 2021-2022 Facilitators made over 1200 farm visits, 231 county meetings & field days, and met over 300 new contacts.

The advantages to this concept are many. KBN will provide a flexible work force with credibility with farmers that professional staff doesn’t have. Since KBN’s top priority is reaching farmers that are not typically joiners or meeting-goers, this credibility is especially important.

The array of activities and services the facilitators have provided is vast, ranging from very basic help to screening CPH-45 calves to helping coordinate Master Cattlemen training. One example of basic assistance involved a facilitator inviting a newcomer to the cattle business to his farm so that he could demonstrate banding (a form of castration) young calves. This relationship also gives the newcomer a network of resources they can reference when the need arises.

Some of the facilitator and producer relationships go back to the beginning of KBN; allowing the producer to develop trust and respect while experiencing a successful relationship with their facilitator. This

enables the facilitator to make suggestions for improvements to the flow of the operation that may include the use of new technology and management practices that enable the cow herd to become more profitable while building equity for the future.

The staff and facilitators of the Kentucky Beef Network are here for you, the Kentucky beef producer. We can provide services to add value to your cattle and protect your livelihood as a beef producer, but most of all we can be your companion. If you ever have any ideas on how we can help you more, please call our office and give us your suggestions.

Eden Shale Update

Dan Miller Industry Coordinator, Kentucky Beef Network

Other than the four days at Christmas, there has not been any winter weather to speak of this year. While those four bitterly cold days did kill some of the young plants in my landscaping, I’m afraid it was not enough to kill off some of the bugs hibernating for the season. I have even noticed a significant number of flys on the cattle already! There is no doubt that our climate now acts in a series of extremes, which can be very challenging to manage on the farm.

One concern I have right now is the lack of rainfall that we have received this spring. It has been very dry the second half of the winter. Our cattle have not had to fight mud at all, and we have not had to bed the calving barn a single time. I will have to say it has been nice calving without the muddy

conditions.

But I am worried about moisture starting into the growing season this dry. I compared the rainfall data from our Mesonet weather station for this year and the 2022 season. There was not as big of a difference as I had thought there might be. From January 1, 2022 to April 12th 2022 we had received 15.1 inches of rain. This year from January 1st, 2023 to April 12th, 2023 we received 13.3 inches of rain. A mere two inches less this year. But one difference I will note is that for 2023 there were more large rain events (single days with 1.5+ inches) where 2022 had more total days with rainfalls of smaller amounts. Again, more extreme patterns in our weather. The biggest difference this spring has been the wind. It seems as though we have moved to

the great plains where the relentless wind is constantly blowing dust into your eyes causing you to seek shelter behind the nearest wind break that will offer some relief.

Again, lets compare the Mesonet data. In 2022 from January 1st to April 12th we had three measured wind gusts that reached at least 40 mph with the highest of those gusts being 50 mph. In 2023 during the same time we have had eleven gusts that were recorded at 40+ mph and the highest gust was 68.5 mph. All this wind has wreaked havoc on our old buildings at the farm. Nearly every barn has some level of damage, ranging from some loose metal flopping around, to one barn that had the entire corner blown off! There are also countless trees down on fences and in the edges of hay fields that have to be cleaned up. Now we are working to get quotes gathered so that the insurance can help make the needed repairs.

These extremes certainly make it harder to manage things on the farm, and I’m sure we will see more of it moving forward. I mean, we’re liable to have a hard freeze in late April and then rain the entire hay season…

THE HAWKINS FAMILY

It all started in 1987 when Lynn and Harvey met at a spring FFA contest. Now over 30 years later, they’ve built a family legacy in the Metcalfe county agriculture industry.

Located only 45 minutes away from Bowling Green sits the Hawkins’ operation. Lynn, Harvey, and their three children: Hayden, HJ, and Harley along with her husband Zeak, stay busy managing over 1000 acres of land. The Hawkins’ tend to 500 momma cows and around 300 feeder calves. Day to day operations with so many head can be quite overwhelming, but this family puts all hands on deck. HJ and Harvey farm full time, Hayden is responsible for feeding, and Lynn and Harley enjoy checking cows and feeding minerals.

The Hawkins Family is very proud of the cattle industry here in Kentucky and enjoys supporting Kentucky Cattlemen's Ground Beef. They've sold over 100

head of cattle into the program! Lynn wants to encourage consumers “to be knowledgeable of where their food comes from and all the work that goes into producing that food.” Lynn and Harvey emphasized how happy they are that their children have the same passion as them and can’t wait to see how they contribute to the cattle industry. Harley and Zeak have recently invested in a few Simmental cows to increase their herd quality, while HJ just purchased his farm two years ago. To be knowledgeable of where their food comes from and all the work that goes into producing that food."

While the cattle operation is the family’s main source of income, they’ve delved into other avenues. Harvey, HJ, and Hayden run a dump truck service, lime service, and custom hay wrapping. Harley and Lynn have turned the old tobacco barn into a breathtaking venue, Country Charm Event Barn. Country Charm hosts weddings, high school reunions, barn sales, graduation parties, and more. On top of everything else, Harley and Lynn

are both agriculture teachers, Harvey serves as the county magistrate, and Zeak is a lineman. This family sure likes to stay busy!

Despite the fact this family is involved in different activities, they can all agree that their favorite memories were spent working cows. One particular cow that comes to Zeak’s mind is Babydoll. Babydoll has earned a special place in everyone’s heart. She's always the first one to come to the feeder for attention. Although she’s had multiple ailments that should’ve put her in the cull group, everyone in the family agrees Babydoll won’t be going anywhere.

One thing is clear in the Hawkins’ family, a love for agriculture. Harley, HJ, and Hayden are so proud of the operation their parents have built. They’ve expressed gratitude towards their parents for instilling a passion for the agriculture industry within them. Lynn and Harvey love this lifestyle as well and are extremely blessed to be a part of the beef industry in Kentucky.

PRIVATE TREATY SALES CHECKOFF INVESTMENT FORM

State and National Beef Promotion and Research Programs Information is required by 7 CRF 1260.201. Failure to report can result in a fine. Information is held confidential per 7 CRF 1260.203.

Total Checkoff Payment for STATE OF ORIGIN*

X BUYER SELLER PHONE

X

Send Report and Remittance to: Kentucky Beef Council

176 Pasadena Drive

Lexington, KY 40503

For additional information: call 859-278-0899 or email beef@kycattle.org

*If the cattle purchased came from another state within the last 30 days, indicate from which state the cattle were purchased.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

BOYD BEEF CATTLE

6077 Helena Road

Mayslick, KY 41055

Charlie Boyd II: (606) 584-5194 • Blake Boyd: (606) 375-3718 www.boydbeef.com • cboyd2@maysvilleky.net

ANGUS

THE BUSINESS BREED

HILL VIEW FARMS

Jimmy Gilles 5160 Lee Rudy Road Owensboro, KY 42301 (270) 929-5370 jcgilles86@gmail.com

BRANCH VIEW ANGUS

927 Old Liberty Pike • Hustonville, KY 40437 (859) 238-0771 • www.branchviewangus.com

James S. & LuAnn Coffey, Donald & Donna Coffey Annual Production Sale- 2nd Saturday in April

BURKS CATTLE CO.

531 Rick Rd. Park City, KY 42160

Eddie Burks • (270) 991-6398 www.burkscattle.com

BURTON & SONS ANGUS

Joe D. or Karen Burton

480 Hominy Hill Rd. Nancy, KY 42544

Joe: (606) 305-3081

Located 15 miles West of Somerset • klburton01@windstream.net

Bulls & females sold private treaty. Inquiries Welcome. Sell only what we would buy. Data driven since 1981.

COFFEY ANGUS FARMS

661 Hopewell Road Liberty, KY 42539

Matt Coffey: (270) 799-6288

Dewey Coffey: (606) 706-2699

Genetics for Maximum Profitability since 1984

DAVIS BEND FARMS

2315 Davis Bend Road Canmer, KY 42722 timmothyljeffries@gmail.com www.davisbendfarms.com

Tim: (270) 528-6605 • Leslie: (270) 528-6435

FALL CREEK ANGUS

448 Corder Farm Road Monticello, KY 42633

Ronnie Corder (606) 348-6588

HAMILTON ANGUS FARMS

Eddie Hamilton 2142 Stilesville Road Science Hill, KY 42553 edjohami@aol.com

(606) 271-1286

Bulls and Females for Sale

President: Henry B. Smith

Vice President: Anne Patton Schubert

Secretary/Treasurer: Shayna Gibson

PLEASANT HILL FARMS

Gil, Mary, Corbin, Caroline, and Catherine Cowles

500 Rockfield Richpond Road

Rockfield, KY 42274

(270) 843-9021 • Fax (270) 843-9005

Located 7 miles west of Bowling Green, 1/2 mile off Hwy 68/80

HERITAGE FARM

Tom McGinnis

1024 Hinkle Lane • Shelbyville, KY (502) 633-1634, home • (502) 633-5100, work (502) 655-0164, cell

JOHNSON FARMS ANGUS

Angus Bulls & Females Slaughters, KY

Keith: (270) 635-0723

Reese: (270) 635-1137

LYNN CREEK FARMS

Kris and Sara Lynn 2184 Bardstown Rd Springfield KY 40069 573-721-6663

MT. MORIAH ANGUS FARMS

Bob, Kathy, Rob, and Janna Clark (859) 748-5558 1446 Kennedy Bridge Rd. Harrodsburg, KY 40330 Bob: (859)339-2610 • Rob: (859)612-1594 mtmoriahfarms1@gmail.com www.mtmoriahangus.com

FOUR KINGS ANGUS

250 Bright Leaf Dr. • Harrodsburg, KY 40330 Cary & Kim King Carymking@yahoo.com • fourkingsangus.com

Cary Cell: (859) 613-3734 • Colby Myers - Purebred Manager

SMITHLAND ANGUS FARM

5202 East Hwy 80, Russell Springs, KY 42642

Charles “Bud” & Pam Smith: (270) 866-3898

Henry & Melissa Smith: (270) 866-2311

ST. CLAIR FARMS REGISTERED ANGUS

Eric & Sherry St. Clair

13433 Falls of Rough Road • Falls of Rough, KY 40119

Home: (270) 257-2965 • Cell: (270) 617-1079

www.stclairangus.com

Performance Tested Bull & Female Sale April 2020

TAMME VALLEY FARM

Jacob Tamme, Owner-Operator (859) 583-7134 jacob.tamme@gmail.com www.tammevalley.com & Find us on Facebook!

TRIPLE D ANGUS

Nathaniel & Darla Denham

Nathaniel(Bub), Sarah, Ashley Denham (606) 423-2457 • (606) 875-0780 tripledangus.com

WHITE FARM

OLD BARK FARM

370 Ferrill Hill, Buffalo, KY 42716 Kenley Conner (502) 905-7825 Registered Angus Cattle

4040 Taylorsville Rd Taylorsville, KY 40071

Gordon Schubert

502-477-2637 • 502-548-8440

Anne Patton Schubert

502-477-2663 • 502-548-2359

Tim and Amy White 3664 Military Pike • Lexington, KY 40513 Home: (859)223-0326

Tim: (859) 509-5401 • Amy (859)227-2552 whitefarm4@twc.com

KENTUCKY ANGUS ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Return to: Shayna Gibson 1220 Angus Trail Lexington, Kentucky 40509 • Annual Dues $35

Shayna Gibson, Secretary/Treasurer

www.kentuckyangus.org

kaa board

These men and women were elected to serve on the Kentucky Angus Association board of directors: (left to right, front row): Jim Shaw, Hodgenville, Director; Tom McGinnis, Shelbyville, Director; Henry B. Smith, Russell Springs, President; Anne Patton Schubert, Taylorsville, Vice President; Shayna Gibson, New Castle, Secretary/Treasurer;

Directors pictured back from left are Neal Branscum, Nancy; Leslie Jeffries, Canmer; Danny Lynn, Springfield; Wesley Womack, Pembroke; Keith Johnson, Slaughters; Charles Toll

Directors not pictured: Blake Boyd, Mays Lick; Larry Jaggers, Glendale; Eddie Burks, Park City, and Amy White, Lexington.

kjaa board

President: Bryanna Smith • Vice-President 1: Lily Jeffries

Vice-President 2: Taylor Jeffries • Secretary: Jake Marksbury • Treasurer: Emily Caffee • Reporter: Blane

Smith • Director 1: Emily Jeffries • Director 2: Mayson Toll

Director 3: McKenna Jackson • Director 4: Lucy Jeffries

Director 5: Elle Marksbury • Directory 6: Mackinziann Conway • Top Left to Right: Mayson Toll, Lily Jeffries, Lucy Jeffries, McKenna Jackson, Mackinziann Conway • Bottom

Left to Right: Jake Marksbury, Taylor Jeffries, Bryanna Smith, Emily Caffee, Blane Smith

2023-24 Royalty: Emily Caffee, Bonnieville, 202324 Miss Kentucky Angus; McKenna Jackson, Paris, 2023-24 Kentucky Angus Princess

Champion Heifer: Womack Skymere 286

Consigned

Champion Bull: SAF Lambo 1009

Consigned by Smithland Angus Farm, Russell Springs, KY

CF Milestone 2110 Consigned by Craig Farms, Harrodsburg, KY

Wednesday, June 7

After 9am...............................Barn available, tie in pavilion

Thursday, June 8

10am - 12pm..........................................Check in All Cattle

1:30pm..............................................Junior Showmanship

TBA................................................................Junior Social

Friday, June 9 9am..........................................Phenotype/Genotype Show

Champion Junior Owned Heifer: LCF-BF Pearls Blackbird 2803

Consigned by Lynn Creek Farms and Blandford Farms, Springfield, KY

beef expo buyers

Champion/Reserve Pen: Champion Pen Female- consigned by Black Gold Genetics, Springfield, KY Reserve Champion Pen Female consigned by Lynn Creek Angus Farm, Springfield, KY

Brian Green, Kyler Day, Laura Whitaker, Stacy Richmond, Justin Spengler, McCarthy Luking, Dale Young, Betsy Clagett, Dalton Hornback, Travis Wesner, Christopher Skees, Patrick Preston, David Yandell, James Way, Mark Kinsey, Kenneth Hiser, Tammi Wright, Paul Winderi, Ayden Redmon, Wendell Bruce, Trevor Craig, Glen Hamilton, Troy Jeffries, Cory Bratt, Todd Rand, Jarred Martin

Kentucky Preview Junior Show follows Phenotype/Genotype Show.

Show Order: Phenotype: 1.Steers 2.Cow/Calf Pairs 3.Bred & Owned Bulls 4.Bred & Owned Heifers 5.Owned Heifers

by Womack Cattle Company, Pembroke, KY

Reserve Champion Heifer: Johnson Blacklass 269 Consigned by Johnson Farms, Slaughters, KY

Reserve Champion Bull:

Kentucky Hereford Association

Kentucky Hereford State Show Winchester, KY

May 26 - Showmanship, Bred and Owned Show, Dinner and Auction for KJHA

May 27 - Owned Show

Contact: Austin Cole 270-282-1728

WELLS FARM Polled Herefords 439 Flatwoods Frozen Camp Rd, Corbin KY 40701

NJB Limited

Toby & Debby Dulworth 2492 S. Kirkman Road LaCenter, KY 42056 (270) 224-2993

dogwood@brtc.net

Herefords that thrive on forages. www.dogwoodherefords.com

6077 Helena Road

Mayslick, KY 41055

Charlie Boyd II

606-584-5194

Annual Bull Sale second Saturday in March Hereford and Angus Bulls

Chambliss

Hereford Farms

Brad, Carla, Clay & Clint Chambliss

1101 Driftwood Lane Elizabethtown, KY 42701

Home (270) 982-3905

Cell (270) 668-7126 fax 270-735-9922

www.chamblissherefordfarms.com

WCN Polled Herefords

Since 1961

Bill Norris

2220 Celina Road

Burkesville, KY 42717

Phone (270) 433-7256

Cell (270) 433-1525

“Every calf needs a white face”

Bobby & Brenda Wells (606) 523-0569 or (606) 344-0417 wells_farm@yahoo.com

Kevin, Angela, Kenlea & Kyler Murray (606) 528-1691 or (606) 682-8413

KHA OFFICERS

President: L.W. Beckley

Secretary/ Treasurer: Suzanne Matheny 606-584-0577 suzannebmatheny@gmail.com

Dale Stith

5239 Old Sardis Pike Mays Lick, KY 41055 dalestith@yahoo.com (918) 760-1550

Home of Select Sires’ Boyd Fort Knox 17yxz54040

MPH Farms

Registered Polled Herefords PAUL L. HANCOCK 8559 KY 56 Owensboro, KY 42301 270-771-4194

Jackson Farms

Registered Polled Herefords PO Box 215 Cross Plains, TN 37049 615-478-4483

billymjackson@aol.com

“Farming the Same Land Since 1834”

WOLF FARM

Registered Polled Herefords

Bulls & Females for sale

Tim & Peggy Wolf 12939 Peach Grove Road

Alexandria, KY 41001

Home: 859-635-0899

Cell: 859-991-3484

Peyton’s Well Polled Herefords

The Lowell Atwood Family 133 Edgewood Drive • Stanford, KY (606) 365-2520 home/fax

(606) 669-1455 cell

Victor- influenced cattle bred for performance on grass.

“Black cows need a good Hereford Bull”

K3 CATTLE REGISTERED HEREFORDS

KYLE BUSH

K3CATTLE@YAHOO.COM

859-588-4531

198 HICKS PIKE CYNTHIANA, KY 41031

THOMAS FARM

Eric & Ronnie Thomas 2396 Union City Rd. Richmond, KY 40475

(859) 623-5734

Eric’s Cell (859) 314-8256

“Cattle for sale at all times”

Polled Hereford and Gelbvieh Cattle 3459 KY Hwy. 1284 E. Cythiana, KY 41031 (859) 234-6956

Ben, Jane, Shelby and Lincoln

Windy Hills Farm

Jackie D. Perkins II 367 Mt. Pisgah Rd. Bremen, KY 42325 (270) 543-3586

Breeding to produce good cows since 1981

HEREFORDS

Codee Guffey • 1815 Grassy Springs Road

Versailles, Kentucky 40383 (502) 598-6355

rockridgeherefords@gmail.com www.rockridgeherefords.com

TK4 Herefords

Tony & Kathy Staples 992 Knotts Road Brandenburg, KY 40108 (270) 422-4220

tstaples@bbtel.com

PILE STOCK FARM

Registered Polled Herefords

HANSELL PILE, JR. 12045 St. John Rd. Cecilia, KY 42724

270-735-5192

270-862-4462

12 miles West of Elizabethtown

T S F

BECKLEY HEREFORDS

L. Wayne Beckley • 1420 Fitchburg Rd. Ravenna, KY 40472 • 606-723-3021

Cell: 859-779-0962

L.W. Beckley D.V.M 284 Pyrse Lane • Irvine, KY 40336

Cell: 859-779-1419 • Clinic: 606-726-0000

www.beckleyherefords.com

TUCKER STOCK FARMS

“Breeding Polled Herefords for over 58 Years”

Breeding cattle for sale at all times.

1999 Walnut Hill Rd. Lexington, KY 40515

(859) 271-9086

cell (859)533-3790

Danny Miller jmspolledherefords.com

270-465-6984

270-566-2694

Tucker Stock Farms

“Registered Angus and Polled Herefords”

“Registered Angus and Polled Herefords”

John A. Tucker II 1790 Hidden Valley Lane Hudson, KY 40145 (270) 257-8548

John Tucker II 1790 Hidden Valley Lane

Hudson, KY 40145

Office (270) 257-8167

270-617-0301

18-month-old Angus & Polled Hereford Bulls

“Bulls always for Sale”

WATSON LAND & CATTLE

Matt, Melinda, Harlee, & Wyatt Watson 6196 Mount Sterling Rd Flemingsburg, Kentucky melindawatson8660@gmail.com

Matt - 606-748-1600

Melinda - 859-625-8660

CATTLE FOR SALE AT ALL TIMES

FARM CREDIT MID-AMERICA COMPLETES MERGER WITH FARM CREDIT MIDSOUTH

COMBINED COOPERATIVE NOW SERVES FINANCIAL NEEDS OF FARMERS AND RURAL

RESIDENTS IN 391 COUNTIES ACROSS SIX STATES

INTERNATIONAL GRASSLAND CONGRESS

April 3, 2023 (LOUISVILLE, KY) –Farm Credit Mid-America and Farm Credit Midsouth officially merged on April 1, 2023 to become Farm Credit Mid-America. The merged association now serves more than 137,000 customers in 391 counties in Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee.

“This is an exciting time for Farm Credit Mid-America as we bring our customer-owners and team members together to form an even stronger cooperative,” says Andrew Wilson, chair of Farm Credit Mid-America’s Board of Directors.

“Together, we are fulfilling our purpose to secure the future of rural communities and agriculture by serving their needs with excellence.”

Dan Wagner continues to serve as Farm Credit Mid-America’s President and Chief Executive Officer. James McJunkins, former CEO of Farm Credit Midsouth, retired at the end of March 2023 after nearly 30 years of service in the Farm Credit System. Dane Coomer, Franklin A. Fogleman, Jr., and Gary Sitzer have joined Farm Credit Mid-America’s Board of Directors from Farm Credit Midsouth.

“With a combined net income of $477 million and $38 billion in total assets owned and managed, we are well-positioned to capitalize on customer opportunities and we are committed to agriculture and rural communities when challenging times arise,” says Wagner.

“We look forward to getting to know our Arkansas and Missouri customers and team members over the coming months.”

Farm Credit Mid-America now has 88 offices in six states and employs approximately 1,650 team members. Its products and services include loans for real estate, operating, equipment and rural living, as well as crop insurance and vehicle, equipment and building leases. The merger adds new commodities, including rice and sweet potatoes, to Farm Credit Mid-America’s already diverse agricultural portfolio.

Customer-owners of Farm Credit Mid-America may share in its success through patronage, which is an annual decision made by the Board of Directors to return earnings to eligible customers. Prior to the merger, patronage-eligible customers of both cooperatives received a combined cash patronage payout of $237.6 million in the first quarter of 2023 – $230 million for Farm Credit Mid-America and $7.6 million for Farm Credit Midsouth. Over the past seven years, Farm Credit Mid-America has returned more than $1 billion in patronage. Prior to the merger, Farm Credit Midsouth returned more than $89 million to its customer-owners since 2015.

The Boards of Directors for Farm Credit Mid-America and Farm Credit Midsouth announced their intent to merge in June 2022. The boards met independently in late August to review and approve due diligence and the merger disclosure document, which received preliminary approval from the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) in January 2023. The merger was approved by a vote from stockholders of both cooperatives in February, with final approval granted by the FCA in March.

About Farm Credit Mid-America

A proud member of the Farm Credit System, Farm Credit Mid-America exists to secure the future of rural communities and agriculture as a leading provider of reliable, consistent credit and financial services to farmers, producers, agribusinesses and rural residents in Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee. The customer-owned cooperative serves more than 137,000 customers and manages a portfolio of $38 billion in total assets owned and managed. Farm Credit Mid-America’s products and services include loans for real estate, operating, equipment, rural living, crop insurance and vehicle, equipment and building leases. For more information visit www.fcma.com.

The International Grassland Congress (IGC) will be held in Kentucky USA from May 14 to 19 and will offer the unique opportunity to listen and talk to grassland scientists, extension leaders, farmers, ranchers, and industry leaders from around the world. The theme of the conference is “Grassland for Soil, Animal, and Human Health.”

The IGC program is packed with academic presentations on the production, storage, and utilization of forages and will offer discussions of grassland policies, social issues, and ecosystem services. There will also be a trade show marketplace, which will be the

hub of the event, where over 800 attendees from more than 60 countries will gather to visit with sponsors and exhibitors, network at evening receptions, and view scientific posters.

One day during the congress is reserved for area tours (included with registration) in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. There will also be optional pre-congress tours in the Southern Plains, Southeast, Northeast, and Pacific Northwest regions of the U.S. For additional information or to register for the IGC, visit https://internationalgrasslands.org/2023-igc/ or follow-on social media at @IGC2023.

PLATINUM EQUITY ACQUIRES MAJORITY SHARE OF TARTER FARM AND RANCH EQUIPMENT

LOS ANGELES, April 3, 2023 — Platinum Equity announced today the acquisition of a majority interest in Tarter Farm and Ranch Equipment from affiliates of the company’s founders.

The Tarter family remains a minority shareholder. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Founded by the Tarter family in 1945 as the Tarter Gate Company, the business has expanded significantly in recent years to include a broad range of ranch and farm equipment. Today Tarter manufactures animal gates and fencing solutions, tractor implements, planters and fire rings, and animal feeding and handling equipment for ranchers, large institutional farms and smaller farming enthusiasts.

“We admire what the Tarter family has built and have great respect for what the company means to its employees, customers and the communities they serve,” said Platinum Equity co-president Jacob Kotzubei. “Family farms and ranches are a vital part of the U.S. agricultural economy. We believe Tarter is one of the only companies that has the capacity and capability to serve the largest and most demanding customers in the space.”

We admire what the Tarter family has built and have great respect for what the company means to its employees, customers and the communities they serve. Family farms and ranches are a vital part of the U.S. agricultural economy. We believe Tarter is one of the only companies that has the capacity and capability to serve the largest and most demanding customers in the space.

Jacob Kotzubei, Co-President, Platinum Equity

Tarter’s operations have grown to include approximately 1.1 million square feet of production facility space in two Kentucky communities and a manufacturing and distribution center in Corinne, Utah. The company sells products through retail channels and serves as a supplier to ranch and farm equipment OEMs.

“I am deeply proud of what Tarter Farm and Ranch Equipment has become and equally optimistic about the company’s future with Platinum Equity’s support,”

said Anna Tarter Smith. “We have great products, loyal customers, and a strong brand. I’m grateful for the hard work and commitment of all Tarter employees and excited about what lies ahead.”

Tarter co-chief operating officer Stephen Frazier will serve as CEO of the business going forward.

“Tarter has taken pride in being a leader in the farm and ranch industry for more than 75 years,” said Mr. Frazier. “This new and transformational partnership brings exciting growth opportunities for the employees, community, and business, and positions us well to meet the needs of our customers in a very dynamic environment.”

The Tarter acquisition is being led by Platinum Equity’s Small Cap investment team.

“Platinum Equity has a lot of experience helping founder-owned businesses evolve and maximize their potential,” said Platinum Equity Managing Director Dan Krasner. “Our global experience and expertise in areas like sourcing and supply chain, manufacturing, digital transformation and business scalability can help Tarter take the next step.”

Willkie Farr served as legal counsel to Platinum Equity on the Tarter acquisition. The Lenox Group served as financial advisor to the Tarter family and Nelson Mullins served as the Tarter family’s legal counsel on the transaction.

About Platinum Equity

Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with approximately $36 billion of assets under management and a portfolio of approximately 50 operating companies that serve customers around the world. Platinum Equity specializes in mergers, acquisitions and operations – a trademarked strategy it calls M&A&O® – acquiring and operating companies in a broad range of business markets, including manufacturing, distribution, transportation and logistics, equipment rental, metals services, media and entertainment, technology, telecommunications and other industries. Over the past 27 years Platinum Equity has completed more than 350 acquisitions.

Ohio Cattlemen's awarded the "Friends of the Expo" award to Doug & Debbie Parke. L to R: Shane Riley Expo Chairman, Debbie Parke, Doug Parke, Ohio Cattlemans Executive Director Elizabeth Harsh, Bill Tom Expo Vice Chairman

Simmental calves are champions of the scale.

They reliably outperform straightbred calves in the feedyard — with better growth, better structure and fewer health problems.

They add pounds without sacrificing marbling, and they come with the IGS Feeder Profit Calculator,™ which factors genetics, health and management into true value. Want

SIMMENTAL

KEVIN AND RACHEL BARRON

Crestwood, Ky

(502) 905-5851

rkbarron812@gmail.com

SWAIN SELECT SIMMENTAL

12113 Green Valley Dr. Louisville, KY 40243

frederickswain@bellsouth.net facebook.com/swainselectsimmental

Fred & Phyllis: 502-245-3866 502-599-4560

Chi & Angie: 502-287-2116

ROCKING P LIVESTOCK

8308 Orangeburg Road Maysville, KY 41056

Chan: 606-584-7581

Keith: 606-584-5626 rockingplivestock@maysvilleky.net

BRIAN & HEATHER SWAIN 3906 Pottertown Road Murray, KY 42071 • 270-293-4440

wksbswain@murray-ky.net

SIMMENTAL AND SIMANGUS BULLS FOR SALE

1939 Huntertown Road Versailles, KY 40383

BULLS FOR SALE

JUDY AND RONDAL DAWSON

1156 Buzzard Roost Road Shelbyville, KY 40065 502-593-5136 • jrdawson22@outlook.com

Chris Allen 859-351-4486 callenuky@hotmail.com

Dr. Henry Allen 859-229-0755

•

SIMMENTAL ASSOCIATION

Jackson

REGISTERED RED ANGUS BULLS FOR SALE

* FREE DELIVERY *

FOUR WINDS FARM

N ew Castle, Kentucky (502) 296-1044

PERFORMANCE TESTED PUREBRED ANGUS BULLS FOR SALE

Call 270-202-7186 for more info or check out www.oakhollowangus.com for current availability.

POLLED HERFORD BULLS FOR SALE

19-20 month old Polled Hereford bulls. Good selection. Low birthweight, medium frame. Free Delivery Available. JMS Polled Herefords, Knifley, KY Danny 270-566-2694 Trent 270-566-2000

THE FOUNDATION SALE IX

September 16, 2023

United Producers Facility, Bowling Green, KY Selling FULLBLOOD & PUREBRED LIMOUSIN

Genetics For info call: A C H Holdings, LLC Stephen Haynes 270-799-8685

REGISTERED BLACK SIMMENTAL BULLS

Many blaze faced. Excellent EPD’s. Semen Tested. Delivery Available. Maximize your profit with proven performance. All bulls qualify for new CAIP cost-share. Adam Wheatley 502349-2665

BREEDING AGE HEREFORD BULLS FOR SALE AT ALL TIMES

Over 60 years of Line 1 Hereford Genetics. Groups of open and bred heifers available for sale at all times.

Chambliss Hereford Farms. 270-668-7126

RED ANGUS, SIMANGUS, CHAROLAIS, ANGUS FOR SALE

Red Hill Farms, Lafayette, TN, 615-666-3098

Bart, Sarah and Ty Jones

Gordon and Susan Jones, 270-991-2663

Visit us online - www.RedHillFarms.net

Contact us for cattle and semen availability. Annual Production Sales:

More Than a Bull Sale – 3rd Saturday in March

Maternal Monday – 3rd Monday in May Bulls & Females of Fall Sale – Last Saturday in October

790 Hydro ran Manure Spreader $19,500

Matching pair of 3516 Meyer Boxes

New Holland 7710 Cab 2 wd

Case 95 4wd Loader Open Station $40,000

John Deere 3975 with processor

ESCH NO TILL DRILLS

12 ft units in stock

Order your Horning corn head today

New Holland t s 110- loader

Luck now 2350 mixer -$11,000

JD 6400-cab- $34,000

Meyer TMR mixers- in stock

Cloverdale 420-500 T - in stock

1402/03 Horning Rotary Headers

Lancaster hammermills- ready to go

4218-22 Esch hay tedders- in stock

WLS 50- $20,000 wet lime spreader

Stoltzfus -LIME -LITTER- FERTILIZER

Spreader John Deere 4020 -3 to choose from Manure spreaders- 8 in-stock John Deere

7200- cab -16 speed John Deere 3975 - base unit- call Artex SB 600 Spreader -in stock John Deere 468 - net $16,500 John Deere 566twine $12,000 Stoltzfus 10 ton Litter spreader

$$$$ New Holland 790 choppers-$8500

Gehl 8335 feeder wagon $7500 Artex SB 200- vertical beater- for rental Farmco feeder wagons-5 in stock-call John Deere 6300- 4 wd- cab-12 speed-$35,000

WWW.REDBARNANDASSOCIATES.COM

REGISTERED BLACK SIMMENTAL & SIMANGUS BULLS

Genomic Enhanced EPD’s

Several White-Faced BSE Tested

BUSH SIMMENTALS

(502)-750-4190

What Goes Into Making The Perfect Ration?

Dr. Katie VanValin Assistant Extension Professor, University of Kentucky

As a nutritionist, part of my job includes formulating rations for producers. This includes anything from rations for overwintering the cow herd to finishing cattle and anything in between. While most nutritionists may have some stock rations in mind for particular types of cattle and production systems, rations are often formulated to meet the specific goals of each producer’s feeding program. So, what goes into formulating the perfect ration? Well, full disclosure there is not one single perfect ration for any scenario. I would be willing to bet if you gave five different nutritionists all of the same information and asked them to formulate a ration, you would end up with five similar yet different rations. However, there are some things that producers can do to help improve the quality of the ration that is being formulated.

Manage expectations: One of the most important things to understand when feeding cattle is having realistic expectations. Regardless of how good your nutritionist is, only so much performance can reasonably be expected from cattle. A few examples of unrealistic expectations include:

• Formulating a grass-hay-based ration to increase lactating cows’ body condition score from a 4 to a 5 before the breeding season begins next month. Remember, each body condition score is equivalent to about 80-100 lbs, so this would require a 2.7-3.3 pound per day average daily gain, which is impractical for a lactating cow. A more realistic expectation is to formulate a feeding program to ensure the cows can maintain their current BCS without losing any additional condition before the start of the breeding season.

• Requesting a finishing ration for 800 lb calves coming off grass with a scheduled harvest date sixty days later. According to the USDA Livestock, Poultry, and Grain Market news, the average live weight for beef cattle last week was 1,375 lbs. This is pretty typical of today’s fat cattle. Even assuming a slightly lighter finishing weight for freezer beef of 1,250 lbs. it would require an ADG of 7.5 lbs. to meet that target end weight. This is not realistic. A more realistic timeframe for this animal to finish would be around 140 days on feed, which equals an average daily gain of 3.25 lbs/day. If sticking with a sixtyday window, the calves can gain weight during that time frame, but undoubtedly this producer would be giving up pounds of hot carcass weight and leaving quality

grades (marbling) on the table as well.

• Looking to background calves starting at 400 lbs. and ending at 750 lbs. with a 90-day turnaround. This would require an ADG of 3.8 lbs/day. While it is not impossible or uncommon to create finishing rations that achieve that level of gain, this becomes unrealistic when dealing with lightweight calves. It is essential to start lightweight calves out on feed slowly, and pushing these light calves too hard or too fast can result in undesirable outcomes. Additionally, even under the best management, it is not uncommon to experience some morbidity in lightweight calves. The combination of health challenges and starting calves on feed can mean 2-3 weeks at the beginning of the feeding period, where ADG is lower than the average for the entire feeding period, which means that 3.8 ADG just became that much more unrealistic to achieve.

Before cattle or feeds are ever purchased, it is important to put the pencil to paper and determine if your production goals are, in fact, realistic. This might mean holding the cattle longer or purchasing or marketing a lighter or heavier calf.

Feed costs: Providing accurate and current feed costs can be beneficial when developing a ration. This allows the nutritionist to calculate the cost of gain and compare different feed ingredients and rations to one another to create a ration that can meet the performance goals at the lowest possible price.

The cost of feed ingredients are often very volatile and regional. The best value feed for a producer in western Kentucky may not be the best value for producers in central or eastern Kentucky. Knowing your local feed prices and availability is valuable when making feeding decisions. Feed ingredient prices change frequently depending on seasonal availability and are often influenced by corn and soybean markets. This means that a ration containing a 50:50 blend of soyhulls and corn gluten feed may have been the most economical option in years past, but depending on the current markets, this may not be the best option today. I’m always surprised by the number of producers who come to me with a short list of ingredients that they want to incorporate into a ration, and when I ask if they have considered feeding other ingredients, the response I sometimes get is, “Well, this is what we’ve always fed.”

Feed analysis: While most feeds have an

“average” or “book value” for nutrient content, these values can vary greatly! Forages are notorious for having a wide range of energy or protein content based on plant maturity at harvest. So when someone says they have “pretty good hay” or “just average hay,” the truth is the actual nutrient content could be very different from what the book values for “average” hay might suggest. Other feeds that can vary greatly are by-product feeds such as distillers, grain, or other by-products of the corn industry. This variation can be location dependent but can also change over time. Feeds that contain higher moisture contents can also have quite a bit of variation in moisture, such as baleage, ensiled forages, or wet distillery by-products. This variation in moisture content can cause inaccuracies if an assumption is made that a feed contains 60% moisture, but perhaps, it has 50% moisture. The inaccuracies that can occur when assuming the average nutrient content of feed ingredients are exacerbated with high moisture feeds or feeds that are included in a large amount of the diet. For example, feeding lactating cows and assuming the hay has 8% protein and 55% total digestible nutrients (TDN, energy) would take about 7 lbs of a 50:50 blend of soy hulls and corn gluten feed to meet the cows’ nutrient requirements. Now, if the hay contained 10% protein and 58% TDN the supplement could be cut in half to about 3.5 lbs per day.

At the end of the day, ration formulation is truly an educated guess; however, the more information that is put into formulating the ration, the more accurate the educated guess can be. Thus, it is recommended to have new feed ingredients tested for nutrient content by sending a sample of the feed to a commercial laboratory. For more information about forage and feed testing, contact your local county extension agent.

Feeding equipment and logistics: This is another area often overlooked when developing a feeding program. It is important to recognize that some feed ingredients will require specialized equipment for storage or feed out, such as silages. At the same time, some rations or management systems are not designed to work with specific feeding equipment such as self-feeders. It is crucial to discuss what type of equipment and labor resources you have available. At the same time, producers should be prepared to make changes to their plans to ensure the best outcome for their given scenario. For example, while formulating a ration for a self-feeder might work for finishing cattle, trying to

develop heifers on a self-feeder may not be the best option. This is because developing heifers and finishing cattle often have very different targeted average daily gain rates.

Background and History of the Cattle: It is also important to provide information about the type of cattle being fed, including the class of cattle, stage of production, targeted rate of gain, or marketing plans so that nutritionists can factor this information into the ration that they are formulating. When working

Spring-Calving Cow Herd

• Continue supplying a high magnesium mineral until daytime temperatures are consistently above 60 degrees F

• Improve or maintain body condition (BCS 5) of cows before breeding season starts. If necessar y, increase energy intake even on pasture.

• Bulls should have a breeding soundness evaluation (BSE) well before the breeding season (at least 30 days). Contact your local veterinarian to schedule a BSE for your herd sires. They should also receive their annual booster vaccinations and be dewormed. I often get questions regarding deworming and reduced fertility in bulls. Dr. Phil Prater at MSU and I examined this and found no effect of deworming on bull fertility.

• Schedule spring “turn-out “working in late-April or early-May; i.e. at the end of calving season and before the start of breeding season. Consult with your veterinarian about vaccines and health products for your herd.

“Turn-out” working for the cow herd may include:

• Prebreeding vaccinations

• Deworming

• Replacing lost identification tags

• Sort cows into breeding groups, if using more than one bull

• Insecticide eartags (best to wait until fly population builds up)

“Turn-out” working of calves may include:

• Vaccinate for IBR-PI3, Clostridial diseases and Pinkeye

• Dehorn, if needed (can be done with electric dehorner and fly repellent during fly season) Castrate and implant male feeder calves (if not done at birth)

with a new producer, one thing that is often overlooked is providing information about what the cattle have been eating. Like all ruminant animals, cattle don’t respond well to rapid dietary changes. It can be helpful for your nutritionist to know what type of feeding program the cattle have been on so they can advise on a plan to transition cattle to a new diet.

Taking time to think about your marketing and production plans and gathering information

TIMELY TIPS FOR MAY

• Deworm

• Insecticide eartags

• Consider breeding yearling replacement heifers one heat cycle (about 21 days) earlier than cows for “head-start” calving. Mate to known calving-ease bulls.

• Record identification of all cows and bulls in each breeding group.

• Begin breeding cows no later than mid-May, especially if they are on high endophyte fescue. Cows should be in good condition so that conception occurs prior to periods of extreme heat.

• Consider synchronizing estrus in all cows. Exposing late-calving cows and first-calf heifers to a progestin (MGA feed or CIDR device) for 7 days before bull turn out increases pregnancy rates and shortens the next calving season.

• Choose best pastures for grazing during the breeding season. Select those with the best stand of clover and the lowest level of the fescue endophyte, if known. Keep these pastures vegetative by grazing or clipping. High quality pastures are important for a successful breeding season.

• If using artificial insemination:

− Use an experienced inseminator.

− Make positive identification of cows and semen used. This will permit accurate records on date bred, return to heat, calving date and sire.

− Good handling facilities and gentle working of the cows are essential.

− Choose AI sires that will meet your goals and resist the temptation to get your cows bigger. Using sires with higher accuracy EPDs will reduce risk.

• Obser ve breeding pastures often to see if bulls are working. Records cows’ heat dates and then check 18-21 days later, for return to heat.

about feed costs and nutrient analysis can go a long way toward ensuring a better quality ration when working with a nutritionist. Some nutritionists work for feed companies and would likely already have access to some of that information. With so many variables outside of our control in beef production, I am a huge proponent of controlling as many variables as possible and taking some guesswork out of ration formulation.

Fall-Calving Cow Herd

• Contact your veterinarian and pregnancy diagnose the cow herd. If a large animal veterinarian is not available in your area, consider taking blood samples for pregnancy diagnosis. Remove open cows at weaning time.

• Plan marketing program for calves. Consider various options, such as maintaining ownership and backgrounding in a grazing program, or precondition and sell in a CPH-45 feeder calf sale.

• Initiate fly control for the cows when fly population builds up.

• Calves may be weaned anytime now but you can take advantage of the spring grass by leaving them on the cow a while or weaning and grazing.

Stockers

• Keep calves on good pasture and rotate pastures rapidly during periods of lush growth. Manage to keep pastures vegetative for best per formance.

• Provide mineral mix with an ionophore.

• Implant as needed.

• Control internal and external parasites.

General

• Har vest hay. Work around the weather and cut early before plants become too mature. Harvesting forage early is the key to nutritional quality. Replenish your hay supply!

• Rotate pastures as needed to keep them vegetative.

• Clip pastures to prevent seedhead formation on fescue and to control weeds.

• Seed warm season grasses this month.