Course Outline

Week 1: Opportunities for Raising Beef Cattle

• Introductions and course overview
• Opportunities & benefits for raising beef cattle
• Common production models
• Sourcing cattle & bringing them home

Week 2: Cattle Health & Behavior

• Common breeds & terminology
• Animal behavior & stockmanship
• Safe and efficient handling, handling infrastructure
• Common health issues
• Vaccinations, first aid, and vet care, resources

Week 3: Cattle Performance & Reproduction

• Best management practices for weaning
• Keeping production records
• Evaluating animal performance
• Culling & herd improvement strategies
• Reproduction benchmarks
• Artificial Insemination (AI) vs Natural Service
• Pregnancy checking options

Week 4: Marketing Models and Pricing for Profitability & Success

Guest Presenter: Matt LeRoux

• Meat processing terminology and regulations
• Identifying your target customer and marketing objectives
• Selecting your marketing channels
• Setting prices for profitability
• Evaluating performance of business objectives

Week 5: Beef Cattle Nutrition

• Forage quality, visual evaluation of nutritional indicators
• Producing or procuring quality hay
• Sampling forages
• Managing forage quality and intake to meet management objectives
• Nutritional needs of different cattle types
• Minerals and supplements

Week 6: Effective and Efficient Grazing and Winter Feeding and Course Wrap Up

Guest Presenter: Brett Chedzoy

• Efficient winter feeding
• Stored feeds, common options to feed
• Shelter & outwintering
• Grazing basics
• Course wrap-up