Kentucky Beef Network

Keeping Up With Kentucky Beef Network

Becky Thompson Director, Kentucky Beef Network

Here are some things going on with the Kentucky Beef Network this month.

Kentucky Livestock Marketing Association and the Kentucky Beef Council become sponsoring partners for BQCA Certification.

The Kentucky Beef Network and University of Kentucky are pleased to announce that the Kentucky Livestock Marketing Association and the Kentucky Beef Council will be sponsoring the enrollment costs for Beef Quality and Care Assurance (BQCA) certification through December 31, 2021. The Kentucky BQCA program takes national BQA practices one step further to provide a holistic program for Kentucky producers, by adding cattle handling and animal care component to the training models. Educational modules provide the best management practices for handling cattle and providing for their well-being, in addition to training on the core principles of BQA. The cost of BQCA enrollment is normally $5, however from March 1- December 31, 2021, the Kentucky Livestock Marketing Association and the Kentucky Beef Council will be sponsoring the enrollment costs, making it free for producers. Producers interested in taking advantage of this opportunity can visit www.kybeefnetwork. com for access to the online training platform or contact their county extension office for training opportunities.

Eden Shale Videos

When the Kentucky Beef Network assumed management responsibilities in 2013 for the University of Kentucky’s Eden Shale Farm in Owen County Kentucky, we transitioned it away from an intensive research farm into a Learning Center & Demonstration Farm for cattlemen. Make sure you check out our online blog for a page full of producer resources and our Youtube Channel for videos showing some of the practices we have put in place at Eden Shale.

KBN Webinars

KBN has been busy the last few months hosting webinars on marketing and profitability for your operations, below is an outline of some you may have missed and others that are coming up! Please visit www.kybeefnetwork.com/webinar for a link to each session recording and registration information.

*Steptoe & Johnson Webinar Series: Through our partnership with the law firm Steptoe & Johnson we discussed estate planning, insurance protections, fencing laws, and mitigating risk on your farm. *Kentucky Livestock Marketing Association Webinar Series: New ways to market cattle or understanding more about how cattlemen can influence the price of their calves are always an interest for cattlemen. To help address this issue in more depth KBN partnered with the Kentucky Livestock Marketing Association to host three sessions. Who is the Livestock Marketing Association and why should you sell at auctions? Questions to the Sale Block (Q&A Session with Stockyard Managers) Value Added Marketing Opportunities through your auction. *Pricing & Market Outlook Webinar: Dr. Kenny Burdine with the University of Kentucky discusses price discovery, a lookback at our 2020 markets and looking forward to 2021 markets.

*Cow Calf Profitability Conference: Our UK partners reformatted the conference into a webinar series including topics on, key profit drivers, managing for profit, bale grazing, controlling hay costs, and profitable stocking rates.

Get Social

Are you engaging with us online? We offer several resources online for your use: Kentucky Beef Network www.kybeefnetwork.com Eden Shale Farm www.edenshalefarm.com Certified Preconditioned for Health www.cph45.com University of Kentucky Forages http://forages.ca.uky.edu/ University of Kentucky Extension Publications http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs.asp

Ben Lloyd

Whitesville, KY (270) 993-1074 strridge@aol.com

KENTUCKY BEEF NETWORK FACILITATORS

Ron Shrout

Winchester, KY (606) 205-6143 ronshrout@bellsouth.net

Charles Embry

Cave City, KY (270) 646-5939 dale.embry@yahoo.com

Jeff Stephens

Ewing, KY (606) 782-7640 stephensbeef@gmail.com

Jacob Settles

Springfield, KY (859) 805-0724 jacob.settles4@yahoo.com

Oh Kentucky; springtime in your midst is a hopeful and promising time. A time to plan and aspire for better conditions going into next season.

The sun warms and the grass grows, and with hopeful regularity a gentle shower of rain crescents the shimmering waves of green forage. With your lush hillsides you tease us into thinking we may harvest your bountiful excess of green grass you have bestowed us. But it is a trick! With the thought of full hay barns, you lure us into mowing your fields only to have it precipitate unexpectedly as the baler is being pulled from its winter slumber of the barn.

To our neighbors we go; to borrow a small piece of hope. To fluff up our chances, and scatter about the idea that the crop is not lost. The tedder tries to fight off the oppressing humidity, but Oh Kentucky, you do not relent! Through scattered showers and hazy hills we remain optimistic for the balers return. And when it returns, chasing windrows and spitting out green bales of promise, we pray for mechanical stability of at least one more day. The appearance of the challenge has faded, but not the need to work diligently to secure the fruits of our labor and reduce the exposure for our new winter stockpile. With hay barns full and equipment put away, we delight as dark clouds build in the western sky. Its then Oh Kentucky, that we thank you for a bountiful harvest from your rolling hillsides.

Eden Shale Farm Update

Dan Miller Industry Coordinator, Kentucky Beef Network