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
- Dec. 13 - Winter Feeding Field Day
- Jan 15 – 2026 KCA Convention/Ag Industry Trade Show
- Beef Management Webinar Series
> Nov. 13 - Winter Feeding Approaches: Matching Strategies to Your Herd & Resources
> Dec. 11 - Shooting the Bull: Answering all your Beef-Related Questions
> 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! - 2025 Mammoth Cave Master Cattlemen
> Nov 10 - Marketing & Profitability
> Nov. 17 - Facilities & Winter Feeding - CPH45 Feeder Calf Sales
> Dec. 4 - Owensboro
News
- High prices, tight supply: KY’s cattle farmers navigate tricky beef market
(Drs. Bullock, Rentfrow, Burdine)
11/10•Kentucky.com - Timely Tips
(Dr. Les Anderson)
11/10•Off the Hoof - Beef Management Webinar Series
(Dr. Darrh Bullock)
11/10•Off the Hoof - To Feed or Not to Feed, Soybeans that Is
(Dr. Jeff Lehmkuhler)
11/10•Off the Hoof - Off the Hoof (Nov. '25)
(Drs. Anderson, Bullock, Tiffin, Lehmkuhler)
11/10•UK Beef Extension - Managing Tall Fescue in Grazing Systems
(Dr. Katie VanValin)
11/6•KYForages YouTube - Grazing Math
(Dr. Katie VanValin)
11/6•KYForages YouTube - Providing Shade for Livestock
(Dr. Katie VanValin)
11/6•KYForages YouTube - More Than One Way To Feed This Winter
(Dr. Katie VanValin)
10/20•Cow Country News - Timely Tips (November)
(Dr. Les Anderson)
10/20•Cow Country News - Cow Country News (November)
10/20•Cow Country News - Kentucky Beef Conference to address markets, bull management and pests
10/16•UK M-G CAFE News -
Back to Basics Beef Program Fall Update
(Dr. Les Anderson, Russell Bell)
10/11•Kentucky Ag Matters
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