The Georgia Master Cattleman Program

Summary

The Georgia Master Cattleman program is a beef cattle producer education program developed jointly through the University of Georgia and the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association. The eight week course trains producers in beef cattle best management practices as well as a certification in Beef Quality Assurance.

Situation

Southeastern cattle production is considered to be lagging behind much of the country due to a lack of knowledge and implementation of best management practices. Beef cattle production in the state has a farm gate value of $590 billion is the 6th in Georgia Agricultural commodity rankings.

Response

The Georgia Master Cattleman program is a beef cattle producer education program developed jointly through the University of Georgia and the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association. The eight week course is hosted by one or more local UGA Extension ANR Agents and taught by Extension Specialist in 4 Departments, Animal and Dairy Science, Crop and Soil Science, Entomolgy and Poultry Science (Engineering). Participants are Beef Quality Assurance Certified and learn additional best management practices in the fields of nutrition, forages, animal evaluation, reproduction, health management, parasite control and facilities.

Impact

During the Fall of 2018 and the Spring of 2019, pre and post knowledge test were given to course participants. In the Fall of 2018 Whitfield County hosted participants from 11 counties with a 70 mile radius. There was a significant change in actual knowledge gained (p<.01) with an average number of correct answers increasing from 5.2 to 6.7 out of 8. In the spring of 2019, Brooks County Extension hosted the Master Cattleman course with participants traveling from 16 counties in Georgia and one county in Florida. One participant traveled 160 miles one way from East Dublin, GA. The pre and post test results revealed a significant improvement in knowledge gained (p<.000). The average participant score increased from 3.9 to 6.0 out of 8. Results seem to indicate a positive outcome for participants in The Georgia Master Cattleman Course has taught 647 producers or their employees since 2014 at the local level.

State Issue

Animal Production

Details

• Year: 2020
• Geographic Scope: State
• County: Ware
• Location: College Station, Athens
• Program Areas:
  • Agriculture & Natural Resources