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
- April 16 - BQCA (Robinson Center)
- April 21, 22 - Beginning Grazing School
- April 27 - Feeder Calf Grading School
- April 28 - 2026 Spring Fencing School (Mason County)
- April 30 - 2026 Spring Fencing School (Todd County)
- May 16 - West KY Select Bred Heifer Sale
- KSU Beef Cattle Workshop
> May 27 - Pasture Management & Nutrition, Reproductive Considerations, Weed Control
> July 22 - Selecting Cattle, Meat Cuts
> Sept. 23 - Breeding, Selecting a Bull - Bull Value Assessment Program
> April 21, 28 - Bull Value Assessment Program
(Bath, Bourbon, Menifee, Montgomery, Scott Counties) - Beef Cattle AI and Pregnancy Determination Schools
> April 21-22 - Beef Cattle AI and Pregnancy Determination Schools
News
- UK senior wants to help farmers ‘continue to do what they love’
4/15•M-G CAFE News - Out with the Old in with the new Meat Lab
(Drs. Lehmkuhler, Rentfrow)
4/6•Beef Bits Podcast - Off the Hoof (April 2026)
(Drs. Anderson, Lehmkuhler, Arnold, Burdine)
4/1•UK Beef IRM - Across Generations: Building the Future of Beef
(Dr. Katie VanValin)
4/1•Cow County News - Timely Tips
(Dr. Les Anderson)
4/1•Cow County News - Bull Selection Practices in Kentucky - What are we Doing Right and What Could we Improve!
(Drs. Anderson, Bullock)
3/26•UK Beef Extension YouTube
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