Relationships of Production Practices for Producers Participating in the UK Beef IRM Farm Program

The University of Kentucky Beef IRM team has developed a project-based educational program (UK IRM Farm Program) designed to instigate long-term changes in adoption of production practices and examine its impact on productivity and profitability of cow-calf operations. Our current objective is to elucidate relationships among various production practices. Beef cattle producers (n=72) from 27 counties in Kentucky were selected to participate in the program. Each participant completed a survey to obtain production data and assess production practices being implemented. Data were analyzed using Spearman’s nonparametric correlations in JMP v11. Spearman’s rho (sr) values of 0.10-0.249, 0.25-0.50, and 0.50 and greater were classified as low, moderate, and strong respectively. Production practices (n=67) were classified into five categories; general management (n=13), reproduction (n=7), nutrition (n=19), genetics (n=5), and health (n=23). Production practices evaluated included identifying cows/calves, recording birth information, keeping performance testing records, pregnancy diagnosis, deworming cows/calves, and average weaning weight. Producers who identified (e.g. tags, tattoo, freeze brand) cows were more likely to record birth information (sr=.35, P<.05), have a controlled breeding season (sr=.40, P<.05), and more complete reproduction and health programs (sr=.31 and .39, P<.05). Producers who dewormed cows/calves tended to have higher average calving and weaning percentages, (sr =.22 and .23 respectively, P=.07). Recording birth information was associated with having controlled breeding seasons (sr=.43, P<.05) and also indicative of more complete reproduction (sr=.42, P<.05), health (sr=.32, P<.05), and genetics programs (sr=.39, P<.05). Similarly, producers keeping performance records had increased reproduction (sr=.45, P<.05), nutrition (sr=.34, P<.05), management (sr=.49, P<.05), and genetics program (sr=.38, P<.05). Those keeping performance records were also more inclined to have controlled breeding seasons (sr=.35, P<.05) and pregnancy diagnose (sr=.38, P<.05). Logically, pregnancy diagnosis was associated with controlled breeding seasons (sr=.44, P<.05), breeding soundness examinations (sr=.34, P<.05), and more complete management and genetics programs (sr=.34 and .22 respectively, P<.05). Production practices that positively influenced average weaning weight included controlled breeding seasons (sr=.39, P<.05), managing thin cows separately (sr=.28, P<.05), and having the ability to weigh cattle (sr=.25, P<.05). Additionally, operations identifying cows and implementing more complete reproduction and nutrition programs tended to have increased average weaning weights (sr= .23, .23, and .25 respectively, P = .07). These producer survey results provide evidence suggesting that identifying cows/calves, recording birth information, keeping performance testing records, and pregnancy diagnosis are important management practices that are positively related to economically important responses.