UT Schedules Beef Heifer Development School For March 22
LEWISBURG, TENN.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture will conduct a Beef Heifer Development School on Thursday, March 22. The event kicks off at 10 a.m. CDT. The school will be conducted at the Tennessee Beef Heifer Development Center located at the UT AgResearch and Education Center in Lewisburg, and the cost to attend the one-day event is $15 per participant.
“Replacement heifers are critical to the future of any beef herd. This event will hit on some topics that will definitely benefit beef producers and their herds. Plus this will be an excellent opportunity for producers to see the center’s facilities and learn more about our efforts to improve the state’s beef herds and help Tennessee producers prosper,” says Matthew Webb, UT Extension director and agriculture agent in Marshall County.
The Tennessee Beef Heifer Development Center, which opened in October 2015, was built specifically to develop and breed heifers. In addition, UTIA researchers have been evaluating intensive management practices in an effort to educate producers on the best ways to improve the replacement heifer process.
The school will emphasize reproductive success and calving management for heifers through hands-on demonstrations of reproductive and carcass ultrasound, breeding management, feed bunk management, grazing and a calving simulator.
“Replacement heifer development is expensive because of the time and resources it takes until a young female 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 cost to attend the school is $15 and includes lunch. Contact the UT Extension Office in Marshall County at 931-359-1929 to preregister by March 16. You may also email Webb at dwebb15@utk.edu. Onsite registration will also be available, but lunch can only be guaranteed to those who preregister.
Those unable to attend can learn more about the UT Beef Heifer Development program by contacting their local county UT Extension agent. Additional information can also be found online 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. ∆