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February 2017 -
Vol. 5 Issue 2
The official newsletter of the Kentucky Cattlemen's Association, Kentucky Beef Council and the Kentucky Beef Network.
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Participate in Beef Industry Sustainability Survey
You have probably noticed in recent years the emergence of a new term, "sustainable beef." The term appears frequently in questions posed to beef producers by our consumers. This means it will impact us whether we want it to or not. And why not? Too often beef has let others define our story and, when it comes to some of the key themes of sustainability, the U.S. beef community has a great story to tell.
In this effort, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) has undertaken significant scientific research into the sustainability of beef production. The first phase of the Beef Industry Sustainability Assessment has been completed using data from the Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska. The results were also certified by NSF International, lending credible, third-party verification to the study, helping to prove that beef is sustainable. The results of phase one can be found here:
http://beefresearch.org/beefsustainabilityresearch.aspx.
In phase two of the assessment, the work is being expanded to include data from all of the individual cattle-producing regions across the country.
Regional data collection is necessary to continue to improve the accuracy of the beef-industry sustainability research. To learn more about regional data collection and to see what the data collection results look like once they are aggregated, please read
"Why is regional data collection important for sustainability research?"
and
"Characteristics of Beef Cattle Operations in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas." By looking at regional practices and incorporating that information into the study, the research will be more representative and we will be better able to tell the beef story through sound science. To accomplish this goal we need help from you, beef producers!
We are asking
cow-calf and stocker operators to complete this 15-minute survey. All results will be confidential and will not be traceable to the individual operation.
We are asking
feedyard and backgrounder operators to complete this 25-minute survey. All results will be confidential and will not be traceable to the individual operation.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FeederBackgrounder.
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Beef Efficiency Conference
If you missed the 2017 Beef Efficiency Conference at the KCA Convention, check out this recap video from the guest speakers. Speakers and topics included Dr. Tom Field, "Decision Making for Efficient Beef Production;" Dr. Jon Beever, "Current Status of Genomic Testing;" and Mr. Johnny Rogers, "Managing Pasture to Improve Soil Health."
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| 2017 Beef Efficiency Conference |
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KCA announces Hall of Fame Inductees
Five deserving cattleman were honored during this year's Evening Banquet at the Kentucky Cattlemen's Association Annual Convention in Lexington. Bobby Shilts, Russell Hackley, Nancy Kloentrup, John Venable and Gene Lanham were the association's 2016 Hall of Fame inductees. You can watch the recognition videos for all of the inductees below.
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| Bobby Shilts |
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| Russell Hackley |
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| Nancy Kloentrup |
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Mid-South Stocker Conference
The Mid-South Stocker Conference is quickly approaching and the registration process is now available online. The conference will be held on March 1st in Manchester, TN. The website has detailed information, but here are the basics:
Manchester | Coffee County Conference Center
147 Hospitality Blvd.
Manchester, Tennessee 37355
A pre-conference tour this year since the location offers a unique set of opportunities. You can register for the tour separately, however you must also register for and attend the conference in order to attend the pre-conference tour. The pre-conference tour will be limited to the first 35 registrants to accommodate the locations we will visit:
- Two stocker operators feeding thin stillage; one running beef feeder calves and the other developing dairy heifers.
- We will also tour the Jack Daniel's Distillery and have an evening meal (all included in the tour registration fee).
Email Justin Rhinehart at
[email protected] for more info.
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Distiller's Grain Workshops
When you think of bourbon, do Kentucky cattle come to mind? Distillers grains, a by-product of bourbon production, can be fed to cattle and
are present in many forms-often referred to as slop, stillage, wet cake and more.
Join us for a half-day workshop and discussion designed for the agricultural community on how we
can use distillers grain for livestock and manage the excess.
What will be covered?
- Feeding Distillers Grains
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Lagoons and Water Quality
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Land Application and Waste Management
Cost: FREE-please register for the location you wish to attend.
Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017
Class Time: 8:30 a.m. EST
384 Halls Ln.
Shepherdsville, KY 40165
Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017
Class Time: 8:30 a.m. EST
184 Beasley Rd.
Versailles, KY 40383
Monday, Feb. 27, 2017
Class Time: 8:30 a.m. EST
317 S Third St.
Bardstown, KY 40004
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Understanding the KY Consumer
Kentucky beef producers take great pride in providing Kentucky consumers with a safe, healthy, wholesome product. This past fall, by utilizing state checkoff dollars, the Kentucky Beef Council (KBC) began the process of delving deeper into understanding the Kentucky consumer and in the end, will launch a new brand within the state.
Through a detailed process of "journey mapping" and extensive research, we have identified three target consumer audiences: Kentucky moms, Super Savers and the Kentucky Grilling Dad. Just this week, we engaged with these audiences during focus groups to test a variety of ad concepts centered around taste/variety, convenient/local and healthy/nutrition messaging.
We are also analyzing Kentucky media trends that can help us build on the successful and effective national advertising campaign, which reaches the older millennial parent. Watch in coming months as we recap some of our research findings and launch a Kentucky-specific initiative!
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6th Annual Derby Burger
Recipe submissions have officially opened to crown the 2017 Derby Burger Challenge Winner! We have partnered once again with the Kentucky Derby Festival and Kroger for the Derby Burger promotion, with one lucky winner receiving tickets to some of the Kentucky Derby Festival events, $100 Kroger gift card, and a prize pack from the Kentucky Beef Council as well as having their burger featured in participating Kroger locations!
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Happening at Eden Shale Farm & KBN
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Eden Shale Feeding System Field Days
If you are interested in Eden Shale's fenceline feeding system and would like to know more information about them, please mark your calendars for two upcoming field days. April 6th we will be hosting a field day talking about the five different designs, sight selection, instillation procedures, and we will have cattle actively using them so you can see how each one is functioning. That day we will also have Matt Springer (UK Wildlife Extension Specialist, https://www.facebook.com/UKWildlifeExtension/) talking about how to manage black buzzard populations on your farm. 
On May 9th, we will have a follow up field day about the fenceline feeding system that will summarize how each feeder performed. We will report which design the cattle preferred, which design was the most efficient at saving hay, providing clean footing, etc. We will also record how many hay bales were fed through each design so you can visually compare which structures held up the best, and which ones require maintenance.
Please check back for more information about the field days once they get closer. Until then, we hope everyone's calving season goes as smoothly as possible. For more info, read Eden Shale's latest blog post here.
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KBN Radio Spot
The Kentucky Beef Network was recently awarded over $900,000 in state funding by the Ky Ag Development Board to continue its ongoing educational and value-added programs. Mike Feldhaus, with KY Farm Bureau's Across Kentucky radio segment, visited with our very own KBN coordinator Becky Thompson and talked about several programs from the CPH 45 sales to Master Cattlemen certification.
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Youth Activities & Opportunities
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Farm Credit Mid America awarded the Heifer Initiative Award to three outstanding youth during the 2017 Kentucky Cattlemen's Association Convention in January.
The Heifer Initiative Award recognizes three young cattlemen, in various age divisions, funds to help purchase heifers of their own. The competition is based on questions answered on the applications and their responses to essay questions. Each winner was
awarded $2,000 to purchase a heifer
from a cattle association member.
The winner for Division 1 (ages 9-13) was Jenna Coles from Warren County. The winner for Division 2 (ages 14-17) was Julia Weaber from Mercer County. The winner for Division 3 (ages 18-21) was Randa Morris from Garrard County.
Applications for the 2018 Heifer Initiative Award will be available October of this year.
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KCF YOUTH SCHOLARSHIP
Five $1,500 Scholarships are available through the Kentucky Cattlemen's Association and are funded by the Kentucky Cattlemen's Foundation.
Deadline is
March 31, 2017
KENTUCKY CATTLEMEN'S FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP REQUIREMENTS:
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| * You must be a graduate from a Kentucky high school in the year of application. |
| * Be accepted for enrollment in a Kentucky college or other institute of higher education. |
| * Planning to major in Agriculture or an Agriculturally-related subject. |
| * Applicant or their parent or guardian must be a member of the Kentucky Cattlemen's Association. |
For more information contact
Nikki Whitaker at the KCA office:
859-278-0899 or 176 Pasadena Drive, Lexington, KY 40503
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KY Still Largest Cattle Producer in the East
A report released from the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirms that Kentucky is STILL the largest cattle producing state east of the Mississippi River! Read the report for our cattle numbers from the last year: http://bit.ly/2jDGase.
Read the past three Issue's of The Kentucky Cattlemen here:
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Cattlemen's Webinar Series
Don't miss the upcoming NCBA Webinar:
Understanding Advancements in Beef Cattle Selection Tools on Tuesday, March 14. Register here and catch up on all the past webinars, including:
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Don't Get Caught Off Guard - Preparing For Changing Antibiotic Regulations
-End of Year Policy Issues Update
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2017 cattle market outlook: Profitability possible for cow-calf producers
"We've got a calf market this year that we think will remain stout enough to be profitable for the average cow-calf producer-lower input costs, favorable feed conditions," says Kevin Good, longtime market analyst with CattleFax. Read the full article here.
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