First Field Day Scheduled At New Beef Heifer Development Center
Opportunity For Prospective Consignors To Tour Center
LEWISBURG, TENN.
The University of Tennessee Beef and Forage Center will host the Tennessee Beef Heifer Development Center Field Day on Thursday, August 25. The event kicks off at 6 p.m. CDT. The Beef Heifer Development Center is located at the UT Dairy AgResearch and Education Center in Lewisburg, Tennessee.
“For beef cattle producers interested in nominating heifers for the development program, this field day will be an excellent opportunity to see the facility and learn more about the mission of our center,” says Justin Rhinehart, UT Extension Beef Specialist.
This is the first field day to take place at the Beef Heifer Development Center, which opened in October 2015. The new facility was built specifically to develop and breed heifers. Since the inaugural class arrived last fall, researchers have been evaluating intensive management practices in an effort to show producers how to improve the replacement heifer process.
“Replacement heifer development is expensive because of the time and resources it takes until she produces a marketable calf on her own,” says Kevin Thompson, director of the Middle Tennessee and Dairy AgResearch and Education Centers. “This program is demonstrating proper replacement heifer development to beef cattle producers and increasing the opportunity for custom replacement heifer development.”
The current class of heifers will be leaving the Center in September. Rhinehart says the Center will take in the second class of heifers in early October. Visitors to the field day can learn about the application and intake process, performance reports and the facility design.
Those unable to attend the field day can still nominate heifers or learn more about the Beef Heifer Development program by contacting their local UT Extension agent. Additional information can also be found at utbeef.com
The Tennessee Beef Heifer Development Center is a partnership between the UT Institute of Agriculture, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and Tennessee Farmers Co-op. ∆