BUCK FORAGE OATS
• First Choice Preference of Whitetails
• Extremely Freeze Tolerant (Most Cold-Tolerant Oat)
• Withstands Heavy Grazing Pressure
• Disease Resistant
• Superior Genetics
• Whitetail-Specific Breeding Program
• Over 30 Years of Research & Development
• Dr. James Kroll “Dr. Deer” Approved
Cole Lehnert, Lawrence Co., being embraced by his parents, Doc and Misty, after claiming Grand Champion honors in the 2024 Tennessee Junior Beef Expo Market Steer Show.
Photo by Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation.
The showmanship winners had the honor of judging “Old Timers Showmanship.” The showmanship winners were (l-r) Caroline Huebner, Explorer; Laine Whipple, Junior; Jackson Overbay, Junior High; Reagan Bostick, Senior Level II; Ellie Hensley, Senior Level I. Photo by Monarch Ag Media.
AROUND THE BARNS AT BEEF EXPO
The Tennessee Cattlemen’s Youth Association hosted the 5th Annual TCYA Ice Cream Social on Thursday evening for exhibitors and parents. More than 275 exhibitors, parents, and supporters joined for ice cream, fellowship, corn hole, and a friendly game of football. Photos below.
Monarch Ag Media served as the official photographer of the 2024 Tennessee Junior Beef Expo. A special thank you to the following for sponsoring the photographer: Sunrise Farms, Angela Wilson; Eagle Creek Cattle, Wayne Jackson Family; Matthew and Brandi Armstrong; Humphreys County Beef Project Group; Bent Creek Farms, Tyler Overbay Family; Classic Acres Cattle, Robby Sims Family; UT Extension; Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association
TENNESSEE JUNIOR BEEF EXPO
THANK YOU to the 2024 TCA Second Harvest Initiative Sponsors!
Grand Champion Steer - Cole Lehnert, Lawrence Co. Steer Purchase Sponsored By: Farm Credit Mid-America
Reserve Overall Steer - Brevin Hutson, Henry Co. Steer Purchase Sponsored By: H&R Agri-Power
4th Overall Steer - Dani Wares, Overton, Co.
Steer Purchase Sponsored By: United Livestock Commodities and MyTeam Cattle & Crop Insurance
Beef Processing Sponsors: TriGreen Equipment, Swallows Insurance Agency, MyTeam Cattle & Crop Insurance, and Anderson Meats & Processing
We raise cattle and sell beef. We figured out how to raise cattle in an all-natural environment. We are GAP Step 4, no antibiotics ever. It’s not accidental that you can raise cattle like that and not have problems with illness. When we first started, we had our share of difficulties in those activities. And then we learned over time how to do things in a way that we could keep them all natural.
We were experiencing death loss of 2 or 3%. We thought we had a pretty robust vaccination protocol using brand name vaccines, modified lives, doing about everything you could do. Then Dr. Monty Kerley, from the University of Missouri, who I have the greatest respect for, and I got to know because of the BIF affiliation, put me on ENDOVAC.
Dr. Kerley said “That stuff really works and it’s not only good on Salmonella but it also confers some feed efficiency.” So we added ENDOVAC into our protocol of vaccinations. We started using ENDOVAC when bringing in feeder cattle from different people as well as using it on our own.
All I can tell you, and you’re probably going to think I’m lying, but now we only run about a quarter percent death loss, keeping them all natural the whole way through. We are audited by a third party for those claims. We just don’t have much illness. This vaccine works!
We don’t even think about not using ENDOVAC…it works that well! We use it on our breeding herd and on the feeder cattle we buy from people. It’s a great product and it’s very cost effective. I can’t give you all the scientific explanations behind ENDOVAC, but coupling it with all the other vaccinations we use, keeps our cattle healthy. We haven’t had a problem with foot rot either . . . maybe one case in ten years. If it’s card-carrying pinkeye, where they just randomly develop it without some kind of injury, we don’t have it! What I understand is that the ENDOVAC is an immune response booster and as a result of that, again, we’re back to the bottom line. We just have a ridiculously low problem with animal health since we’ve been using ENDOVAC. It works! That’s all I can tell you.
–Steve Whitmire, –Ridgefield Farm & Brasstown Beef
KENTUCKY TOUGH FORAGE
The Friendly Fescue Foundation, a mixture of modern friendly-endophyte tall fescues, can double the average daily gain in your herd and increase conception rates to over 80%. The success of your farming operation can take a giant step forward when you switch to friendly fescues.
Friendly Fescue Foundation from Byron Seeds brings a vetted blend of top fescues to give you extreme yield potential and digestible energy along with the added value of signature amounts of elite orchardgrass and forage bluegrass.
Contact a Byron Seeds Forage Specialist below who can guide you in the simple steps to switch to friendly-endophyte fescues.
KY Supreme Pasture Blend is a high-yielding blend formulated for pasture and hay in Kentucky and Tennessee and includes friendly fescue, orchardgrass, red clover, bluegrass, timothy, and white clover. We also offer an even more diverse pasture blend which includes alfalfa and forbs.
Crab Orchard, KY
