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Summary

Beef Cattle Producers need to take advantage of increased demand for high quality breeding stock. The UGA Heifer Evaluation and Reproductive Development (HERD) program has established an outstanding model of improved guidelines for heifer development and value added marketing.

Situation

Beef Cattle Producers need to take advantage of increased demand for high quality breeding stock. The UGA Heifer Evaluation and Reproductive Development (HERD) program has established an outstanding model of improved guidelines for heifer development and value added marketing.

Response

The Monroe County Extension worked with the Monroe County Cattlemen's Association to model a heifer development program after the UGA HERD program. We collected more than twenty different measures of data on reproduction, disposition, breeding, pedigree and gain on the heifers during the period of December through May. We summarized the data and produced a catalogue for the 2nd MCCA HERD Sale held on May 20, 2006. We also promoted participation in the UGA programs at Tifton and Calhoun.

Impact

We had ten producers in Monroe County develop 400 heifers using this protocol. One producer in Jasper County began this on-farm program with 160 heifers. We had five producers from Monroe, Jasper and Jones counties consign heifers to the UGA programs at Tifton and Calhoun. Many of the heifers were retained for replacement breeding stock. 151 heifers were catalogued and sold at the Monroe County sale held on May 20, 2006. This sale grossed $208,100 for an average of $1378/hd. This program added an estimated $722 per heifer for a total added value of $109,022. After deducting program expenses, producers added additional profits totaling $63,722 to their operations as a direct result of this program. Similarly extra value was added through the heifers developed at Tifton and Calhoun. Heifers from five of these farms grossed $30,600 at Calhoun and $27,100 at Tifton. Total sales for the three HERD programs amounted to $265,800 to ten producers from this three county area

State Issue

Agribusiness Development/Value Added

Details

  • Year: 2006
  • Geographic Scope: State
  • County: Monroe
  • Program Areas:
    • Agriculture & Natural Resources

Author

  • Pope, John H.

Collaborator(s)

Non-CAES Collaborator(s)

  • Monroe County Cattlemen's Group
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