Beef Program
Kentucky has the largest beef cow herd east of the Mississippi and the eighth-largest nationally, with approximately 1 million beef cows. Beef cattle provide our primary means of converting Kentucky's 7 million acres of pasture and forage into useful products.
Tremendous potential exists to expand income opportunities from beef cattle to help replace lost tobacco income and sustain Kentucky's agricultural base. The state-of-the-art facilities at the Animal Science Research Center Beef Unit will allow us to move forward with renewed emphasis on development (Research) and transfer (Extension) of knowledge and technologies to ensure that Kentucky's beef industry is competitive in a changing and demanding marketplace.
Upcoming Events
- Jan 15 – 2026 KCA Convention/Ag Industry Trade Show
- 2026 Master Cattlemen
> Jan 5, 6 - Genetics (Hopkins Co., Christian Co.)
> Jan 8 - Genetics (Mason Co.)
> Jan 12, 13 - Reproduction/Record Keeping (Hopkins Co., Christian Co.)
> Jan 15 - Reproduction/Record Keeping (Bracken Co.)
> Jan 22 - Herd Health (Fleming Co.)
> Jan 26, 27 - Herd Health (Hopkins Co., Christian Co.)
> Jan 29 - Nutrition (Mason Co.)
> Feb 2, 3 - Forages (Hopkins Co., Christian Co.)
> Feb. 5 - Reproduction & Records (Lewis Co.)
> Feb. 9, 10 - Nutrition (Hopkins Co., Christian Co.)
> Feb. 12 - Facilities & Winter Feeding (Robertson Co.)
> Feb 16, 17 - Marketing & Profitability (Hopkins Co., Christian Co.)
> Feb 23, 24 - Facilities & Winter Feeding (Hopkins Co., Christian Co.) - Beef Management Webinar Series
> Jan. 8 - Making the Most of the Good Years: Profits, Reinvestment, and Tax Management in Beef Cattle
> Feb. 12 - Impact of Bull Nutrition During Development on Semen Quality
> March 12 - Bull Selection Practices in Kentucky: What are we Doing Right and What Could we Improve!
News
- Timely Tips (December)
(Dr. Les Anderson)
12/18•Cow Country News - Revisiting Genomic Testing Commercial Heifers
(Dr. Darrh Bullock)
12/18•Cow Country News - Beef Systems Analyzer - Introduction
(Dr. Darrh Bullock)
12/12•UK Beef Program YouTube - OFF THE HOOF (Dec 2025)
(Drs. Anderson, Bullock, Arnold, Burdine)
12/11•UK Beef Extension - PR-876: 2025 Alfalfa, Red Clover, and White Clover Grazing Tolerance Report
(authors include Dr. Vanzant)
12/10•UK M-G CAFE Publications - PR-877: 2025 Cool-Season Grass Grazing Tolerance Report
(authors include Dr. Vanzant)
12/10•UK M-G CAFE Publications - UKREC and Master Grazer to host Winter Feeding Field Day on Dec. 13 in Princeton
12/1•UK M-G CAFE News - Timely Tips
(Dr. Les Anderson)
11/24•Cow Country News - The Real Cost of Limiting Nutrients
(Dr. Les Anderson)
11/24•Cow Country News - Weak Calf Syndrome - Not Just a Cold Weather Concern
(Drs. Arnold, Smith, Teutsch, Lehmkuhler, Anderson, VanValin)
11/24•Cow Country News - Approaches to Winter Feeding: Matching Strategy to Your Herd and Resources
(Drs. Darrh Bullock, Katie VanValin)
11/19•UK Beef Extension -
UKREC and Master Grazer hosts Winter Feeding Field Day
11/19•UK Forages Extension Program
Courses
Animal Breeding
ASC 362, Every Spring
Instructor: D. Aaron
Reproductive Physiology of Farm Animals
ASC 364, Every Fall
Instructor: P. Bridges
Feeds and Feeding
ASC 380, Every Spring
Beef Cattle Science
ASC 406, Every Fall
Mammalian Endocrinology
ASC 601
Instructor: K.R. McLeod
Laboratory Methods in the Nutrition Sciences
ASC 680, Every Fall
Instructor: D.L. Harmon
Energy Metabolism
ASC 681, Alternate Spring Semesters
Instructor: K.R. McLeod
Protein Metabolism
ASC 683, Fall of odd-numbered Years
Instructor: R. J. Trotta
Advanced Ruminant Nutrition
ASC 684, Alternate Spring Semesters
Instructors: D. L. Harmon, E.S. Vanzant, K. R. McLeod
Physiology of Digestion and Absorption
ASC 689, Fall of even-numbered Years
Instructor: R. J. Trotta
Animal Sciences Seminar
ASC 771, Every Semester
Instructor: K. R. McLeod