South Florida Beef - Forage Program

STOCKING RATE PROGRAM



Do you have too many cows on your operation? How do you know and how should you establish the proper stocking rate? Would it be profitable to reduce the size of your herd? The answers to these and other questions are the focus of the South Florida Beef-Forage Stocking Rate Program.

Dr. Bill Kunkle, University of Florida Animal Science Department Nutrition Specialist, will lead a hands on body condition scoring exercise and discussion on timing and the use of this management tool to determine stocking rates and optimal production. John Earman, Vero Beach will demonstrate a computer program he has developed that allows cattlemen to determine impact of production changes on the profitability of a herd for up to 10 years. He will discuss how this tool might be used to determine what affects stocking rate changes would have on reproduction and total ranch performance. This is an excellent opportunity to get some tools to use to answer the difficult question of what is the optimum stocking rate for an individual operation.

If you are interested in participating in the Stocking Rate Program, please contact your local County Extension Agent for registration information.


Example Schedule From 1999 Program

3:00 - Body Condition Scoring
           - Dr. Bill Kunkle, Extension Beef Specialist, University of Florida, IFAS, Gainesville, FL
3:30 - Determining Stocking Rate
           - Dr. Finley Pate, Range Cattle REC, University of Florida, IFAS, Ona, FL
4:00 - "What If"
           - Doug Mayo, Polk County Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Bartow, FL
4:30 - Body Condition Scoring Problem
           - (The Cow Calf Simulator) John Earman, JEAC, Inc., Vero Beach, FL &
          Dr. Fritz Roka, Southwest FL REC, University of Florida, IFAS, Immokalee, FL
5:00 - Break
5:15 - Producer Panel
           - Cliff Coddington, Schroeder Manatee Ranch
           - Gene Lollis, Buck Island Ranch
5:45 - Going to the next level - Cooperator Ranch
           - Jim Selph, DeSoto County Cooperative Extension, University of Florida, IFAS, Arcadia, FL
6:15 - Wrap-Up


Go to: South Florida Beef-Forage Program Programs Page


Mail website questions or comments to William F. Brown




Last Revised September 7, 1999