Northwest Arkansas Beef Production Field Day Set For April 28
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will hold a Beef Production Field Day on April 28 at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station's Savoy Research Complex in Washington County.
U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Fred Miller
FRED MILLER
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will hold a Beef Production Field Day April 28 at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station’s Savoy Research Complex.
Following a welcome at 9 a.m. by Mike Looper, head of the department of animal science, the field day will open with a hands-on Beef Quality Assurance recertification workshop and test, said Johnny Gunsaulis, staff chair for the Benton County Extension Office. More about the division’s schedule of BQA workshops is available online: https://bit.ly/DivBQAinfo.
After a lunch sponsored by the Beef Council and Farm Credit, Division of Agriculture scientists from the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service will make a series of presentations and demonstrations:
• 12:40 p.m. – Brittni Littlejohn will present her epigenetics study on the potential of adding melatonin to heifers’ diets to reduce the adverse effects of toxic fescue • 12:50 p.m. – Kelly Loftin will present alternative methods of fly control using free fatty acids as a repellent to horn flies • 1 p.m. – Beth Kegley will present her research on the use of chelated mineral supplements, tracking the effect of feeding Zinpro (mineral supplement) on cattle performance and carcass qualities • 1:10 p.m. – Kegley will present a research project on the necessity of including phosphorus mineral supplements for cattle grazing pastures with elevated soil-test phosphorus (https://bit.ly/HeiferPstudy)
• 1:20 p.m. – Jiangchao Zhao will present microbiome research looking at the bacterial populations present in newborn calves, in the same calves at weaning, and when co-mingled with other animals; to determine what microbiome populations may protect calf health and which could predict respiratory disease complications • 1:30 p.m. – Kelly Vierck will present freezer beef research using C-lock feeding technology with a simple, forage-based ration; studying the number of feedings per day and measuring carcass characteristics, including tenderness • 1:40 p.m. – Charles Looney will present the results of a new protocol on estrous synchronization for heifer development on a timed artificial insemination breeding program on older cows Those desiring BQA certification or recertification should contact their local county extension office to get the BQA manual, Gunsaulis said.
The Savoy Research Complex’s beef production facility is located at 18001 UA Beef Farm Road, about 12 miles west of Fayetteville. The division’s BQA workshop schedule is available here: https://bit.ly/BQAschedule. ∆
FRED MILLER: University of Arkansas