Source: UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION submitted to NRP
CREATING PROFITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE BEGINNING UTAH RANCHERS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0223621
Grant No.
2010-49400-21768
Cumulative Award Amt.
$748,109.00
Proposal No.
2010-03105
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2010
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2013
Grant Year
2010
Program Code
[BFRDP]- Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program
Recipient Organization
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION
(N/A)
LOGAN,UT 84322
Performing Department
Cooperative Extension
Non Technical Summary
The agricultural processing sector and the production agriculture sector together account for $15.2 billion in total economic output in Utah after adjusting for multiplier effects. Based on Utah's 2008 Gross State Output, production agriculture and its associated processing sector accounts for 13.9% of total state output. NASS Utah 2007 agricultural census data indicate 25,762 operators on farms and ranches. Of these, 30.2% (7,766 operators) were present 9 or fewer years on the farm. Additionally, the same data indicate an average age of 54.6 years for operators. The demands of food production created by a doubling of food demand over the next 50 years will create challenges in sustainability and production. New ranchers often find it difficult to get started or to continue the family tradition of producing food and fiber. This group has also been shown to participate less in government programs and farm and ranch differently. One difference is beginning farmers embrace and incorporate newer technologies when compared to those who have been farming or ranching longer. In the most recent NASS census data, approximately 5% of ranch operators were under the age of 34 years (260 statewide). While age is not a definitive indicator of "beginning ranchers" this provides some clue to the number. In three of Utah's more prolific ranching counties (Box Elder, Cache, and Rich), 40 ranch operators could be considered "beginning". The Beehive Master Beef Manager Program (BMBM) was created to educate Utah cattle producers about best management practices and to mitigate risk. The Cow/Calf Management Guide and Cattle Producer's Library (CCMG) was used as a reference for the BMBM Program, together with supplemental materials provided by the various instructors. The BMBM program model will be used and called the Beehive Master Livestock Manager (BMLM) program. With profit margins continuing to grow smaller and input costs ever increasing, the beginning rancher is forced to look towards niche income areas. Niche markets such as Organic Beef and Natural Beef, offer chances for beginning ranchers. But these niche groups will take only top performing cattle, uniform genetics, and the requirements for participation are often unclear and daunting. Premiums are also available when producers incorporate marketing techniques such as uniform genetics, lots, age and source verification, and verifiable health (preconditioning) programs. Our Utah beginning rancher program will incorporate these value added programs into our instruction and genetic benchmarking to demonstrate the value of utilizing these programs. In Utah, 67.1 percent of the state is federally owned. The majority of Utah cattle spend some time on public lands. These grazing allotments have been pivotal to the success of Utah ranchers. Ranchers continue to improve these grazing lands. Under the direction of federal (NRCS) and Utah grazing improvement programs (UGIP), ranchers have done tremendous work to strategically enhance range utilization and profitability from these allotments. Our Utah beginning rancher program will work with UGIP to demonstrate the value of range improvement to beginning ranchers.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
60160303100100%
Knowledge Area
601 - Economics of Agricultural Production and Farm Management;

Subject Of Investigation
6030 - The farm as an enterprise;

Field Of Science
3100 - Management;
Goals / Objectives
This program will involve (1) education, outreach, and mentoring to beginning ranchers through the Beehive Master Livestock Manager program (BMLM); (2) demonstration and education on enhanced genetics and value added programs through genetics testing; and (3) demonstration and education of grazing improvement programs through the Utah Grazing Improvement Program (UGIP). Through the BMLM we will also introduce social networking and mentoring to participants. Using the Beehive Master Beef Manager Program model, beginning ranchers will be trained in livestock best management practices on topics ranging from beef quality assurance, animal health, nutrition, selection, marketing, human resource management and range/pasture management. One resource used will be The Cow/Calf Management Guide and Cattle Producer's Library (CCMG). Using this guide and library, topics will be developed by specialists to educate beginning ranchers. BMLM Program Outcomes 1) Attendees will gain additional knowledge on best management practices on a wide variety of topics. 2) Participants will obtain certification in Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) allowing them greater market access to a variety of niche markets. 3) Mentoring with more seasoned ranchers will be made available and set up through this program with help from the Utah Cattlemen's Association's Young Cattlemen and Utah Farm Bureau's Young Farmer and Rancher programs. 4) Attendees' base knowledge and post participation knowledge will be assessed to determine program success. Attendees of the BMBM programs, particularly Box Elder, Cache, and Rich Counties, will be selected to participate in several value added opportunities to demonstrate benefit from these newer technologies. These include: a. Age and Source Verification of calves b. Genetic markers for selection c. Preconditioning program participation and verification Genetics and Value Added Program Outcomes 1) Participants will learn to answer questions such as: Which bull is breeding my cows What traits is he passing on to my heifers and cows Is my breeding program improving my end-product 2) Ranches will receive herd benchmarks for selection traits 3) Beginning ranchers will be able to establish selection goals based on established benchmarks 4) With this level of management, beginning ranchers can begin to target additional markets for their cattle Beginning ranchers will become aware and participate in land stewardship through our beginning rancher grazing improvement program. Participants will be presented information on land stewardship. Participants will be offered the opportunity to apply for federal and state land improvement grants. And, participants will receive help and resources to apply for federal and state land improvement grants. UGIP Participation Outcomes 1. Beginning ranchers will become educated on sustainable land stewardship 2. Sustainable grazing principles will be presented and demonstrated 3. Beginning ranchers will be provided assistance in land/range monitoring 4. Beginning ranchers will be encouraged to develop a land stewardship plan.
Project Methods
The BMLM will cover topic areas from basic husbandry, nutrition, animal health and pasture management, to marketing, business planning and human resources. The teaching team will work with local Extension faculty, ATC faculty and ranching/commodity association leaders/advisors to identify likely candidates for participation. Initial workshops ask participants to prioritize their educational needs. Individual priorities will then be combined and a composite set of priorities will be determined for that teaching site. A customized curriculum for each teaching site based on these composite priorities will be created. The delivery platform will consist of conducting monthly workshop sessions wherein one or two topics are taught during the winter months. Three to five sessions will be held in each site during each of the three years of the grant. ATC instructors, with assistance from USU Extension faculty, will conduct accounting software training for beginning ranchers to enable them to track expenses and make better business decisions relative to financial considerations. Web page development and social networking will be introduced. Workshops will be organized and advertised fall 2010. Several evaluation methodologies will be employed to determine effectiveness and to make adjustments in programming. Before/after surveys will be utilized to measure initial, self-assessed learning for the BMLM program workshops. This will enable teaching teams to assess if learning objectives for that specific workshop have been met. At the close of each program year, participants will be surveyed to determine which and how many of the principles taught lead to implementation. All bulls, 3 and 4 year-old cows (as they represent the future genetics of the herd), and replacement heifers will be genetically testing using hair sampling. In subsequent years, only the new additions (bulls, cows, and heifers) will be tested. Each ranch will receive an average score on genetic traits. This will become the benchmark of the herd. Using these benchmarks, selection goals will be determined for each operation. Herd average benchmark scores will be compared before and after the program for change. The UGIP program is designed to assist agricultural producers who rely on public and private rangelands to enhance those lands through facilitating improvement projects, coordinating with Federal and State land management agencies and educate land users and the public about the value of these lands. Beginning ranchers will be taught the Key Principles of Grazing Management in the first year. Participants will be informed of state and federal programs that provide monies to implement these principles on ranches. The teaching team envisions five projects being applied for by beginning ranchers in Utah each year. No beginning rancher program dollars will be allocated for conservation projects. These projects would then be used to demonstrate success and to generate excitement about grazing improvement.

Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/13

Outputs
Target Audience: During the final year of the project our target audience continued to be beginning Utah ranchers. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? We provided opportunity for training and professional development through tution scholarship or support for a number of current programs. This included Intermountain beef 3910, a week long workshop devoted to carcass evaluation and traits. Beginning ranchers who attended provided positive feedback on merrit. We also provided scholarships to attendees of our Utah Beef Cattle Field day where they learned principles of cattle managment and timely topic updates. Beginning ranchers were also invited to an extension retreat. Finally, tuition waivers were provided for attendees of the ranch managment program who were beginning ranchers at bridgerland area technical center. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? We attended and reported at the Beginning Rancher and Farmer 2012 PD program in Rochester Minnesota 6 December 2012. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We accomplished additional training in land stewardship by partnering with UGIP and providing a retreat for begining rachers. This represents our 6th retreat over the past three years. Using a T test, significant learning aoocurred in all eight areas evaluated by the attendees who completed the evaluation. These retreats have been extreemly successful. And when attendees were surveyed in one Grazing Improvemnt area, three land improvemnt projects were traced back to various workshops and retreats. Ranchers' genetic samples continued to be evaluated and results returned. An interesting finding is that parentage done on calves indicated that some bulls were less productive than other bulls. Ranchers find this very valuable when making genetic selections.

Publications


    Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12

    Outputs
    OUTPUTS: Year two of our Creating Profitable and Sustainable Beginning Utah Ranchers has seen tremendous success. Grant management attended the annual grant coordination meeting in Colorado. Thirteen Beginning Ranchers families enrolled in the ranch management course and program at Bridgerland Area Technical Center. The grant paid tuition for 9 of those families or for 18 students. The program leader has met with each family at least 12 times per year. We have discussed their needs financially and started them on a training program to help them meet their own goals. We work specifically with their own financial numbers and help them understand their own financial statements. We have also had 2 group training's where all have been invited to meet and discuss the applications of the DNA collecting on their own cow and calves. In addition, three grazing retreats where held in summer 2012 with over 30 beginning ranchers participating. Retreats were held in remote locations where distractions were limited and scenic ambiance abound. They were held in on the Tavaputs Plateau, Flaming Gorge, and Deseret Land and Livestock. These retreats were deemed a success by participants. The first round of genetic testing - parentage - has been run and is being incorporated in participating ranches. We are now incorporated and have a presence in the annual cattlemen's convention and farm bureau meetings. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: We used a pre and post workshop tool to determine change in understanding for 12 topic areas at our retreats. Beginning ranchers reported significant (p< 0.05) learning when pre-workshop understanding was compared to post-workshop understanding of common topics or questions. All of the categories polled reported significant learning. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

    Impacts
    Using a pre and post survey tool participants in our summer grazing and land stewardship retreats were polled to determine learning. Attendees reported significant (p< 0.05) learning when pre-workshop understanding was compared to post-workshop understanding of common topics or questions. All of the categories polled reported significant learning. With genetic testing, parentage determination of their calf crop became a tremendous management tool and highlighted the need for better breeding management for several operations. We will highlight two examples. For one seed stock operation, the sires for the calves that the owner was claiming did not match the genetic parentage test therefore not representing the true genetic merit of the calves. Once the omission was highlighted, careful review of the records found a management error that may have resulted in lost revenue and credibility. In another case, two calves were born on the same day and tagged improperly. One of the calves was deemed marginal by records while the other was going to be kept. Parentage revealed the identification error. Had this mistake not be caught the excellent calf would have been sold while the marginal calf retained. The impact to the herd cannot directly be calculated, but if this error happens on a common basis it could have tremendous future genetic impact on the herd. We can report that our beginning ranchers are reporting significant increases in grazing, land stewardship, and genetic understanding.

    Publications

    • Barton, L, K.A. Rood, and L. Rickords. 2011. [Fact Sheet] Benefits of DNA-based Technology in Beef Production. Electronic Publication. Utah State University Fact Sheet AG/Animal Health/2011-03pr at: http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/AG_AnimalHeal th_2011-03pr.pdf
    • Rood, K.A. and C.K Chapman. March 2011. [Accepted as oral presentation] Creating Profitable and Sustainable Beginning Utah Ranchers. March, 2011. Utah State University Extension Annual Conference. Best Practices Section. Abstract and Presentation.
    • Rood, K.A. and C.K. Chapman. October 2012. [Accepted as oral presentation] Helping Beginning Ranchers Develop Sustainable and Innovative Management Practices through Workshops and Retreats. The American Association of Extension Veterinarians and Applied Animal and Public Health Symposium. USAHA Annual Meeting. Greensboro, NC.


    Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11

    Outputs
    OUTPUTS: We met with core groups of beginning ranchers in three areas of Utah (Morgan, Beaver and Wasatch counties). Each group met three times in January, February and March, 2011. Topics included risk management (Dr. Dillon Feuz, USU), marketing (Dr. Dillon Feuz, USU), ranch budgeting (Bridger Feuz, Wyoming), pasture and range supplementation (Dr. Dale Zobell, USU), cow/calf health issues (Dr. Kerry Rood, USU), grazing management (James Barnhill, USU), taxes (Dr. Ruby Ward, USU), generational transfer (Dr. Kynda Curtis, USU), forage Kochia (Mark Nelson and Dr. Dale Zobell, USU), niche marketing (Dr. Kynda Curtis), retained ownership (Dr. Dillon Feuz), and irrigated pasture (James Barnhill, USU). Evening meetings were organized by local county extension agents and lasted two hours. In Cache County, two educational events were organized for beginning ranchers in December 2010 and April 2011. Another group of beginning ranchers and farmers was organized in Sevier County Utah by the area extension animal scientist (Chapman) and they hosted two meetings in November 2010 and March 2011. Their topics revolved around financial issues. Topics presented to each group were determined by the local agent with input from beginning ranchers or were dictated to fit with other parts of the program such as in Cache County where we wanted them to understand genetics due to their participation in that part of the program. As a resource to these meetings, participants were provided the second edition of the Cow-Calf Management Guide Cattle Producer's Library (Pub. University of Idaho). Bridgerland Applied Technical College (Dustin) facilitated the sampling of over 4,400 animals on 11 beginning ranchers' operations. Sampling took place primarily during October, November and December, 2010, while the data is now being analyzed and the ranchers are working to make management decisions based on what was learned about the breeding of these young cattle. Two dozen beginning ranchers received admission wavers or scholarships to attend the Utah Beef Cattle Field Day (a field day designed to provide cutting-edge, timely information to progressive cattle producers) and one of the technical college's (BATC) ranching management programs. The Utah Grazing Improvement Program educated beginning ranchers on grazing principles and land stewardship in June (2011) by hosting beginning ranchers at a remote ranch location (Deseret Land and Livestock, Woodruff, UT). Twenty beginning ranchers, along with partners (spouse, sibling, etc.) making up the management "team, attended. A multi-faceted marketing effort was launched which included developing a logo. This logo, along with acknowledgement of NIFA, was present on all materials and noted throughout the first year of the program providing an identity with clientele. Social networking began with a blog (beginningutahranchers10.blogspot.com) and Facebook page. Further advertising was provided during this past year by various industry partners wherein the program was mentioned, promoted and highlighted in commodity group meetings (Utah Cattlemen's Association, Utah Farm Bureau, and Utah Wool Growers) and extension events. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Participants included both male and female beginning ranchers, with the majority being male. The grant did not specifically target minority populations and as such no data was obtained for these groups. Over 150 participants were educated during our workshops, events and educational classes. Participants (beginning ranchers) and partners who attended our June workshop were evaluated for a change in knowledge using a before /after evaluation instrument regarding ten educational objectives. As an example, one learning objective related to the understanding of the "duration of grazing." With all learning objectives, participants reported a statistically significant (p<.05) improvement in their perceived understanding of the objectives. Additionally, participants indicated that they were going to implement change back on the ranch in areas such as animal herding using water and salt, reevaluating bull to cow ratios, and more mob or intensive grazing for shorter durations; as examples. To further quantitate this impact, participants in the June 2011 grazing workshop will be contacted in 2012 to determine if they did indeed implement change in their operations. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

    Impacts
    Over 150 participants were educated during our workshops, events and educational classes. Participants (beginning ranchers) and partners who attended our June workshop were evaluated for a change in knowledge using a before /after evaluation instrument regarding ten educational objectives. As an example, one learning objective related to the understanding of the "duration of grazing." With all learning objectives, participants reported a statistically significant (p<0.05) improvement in their perceived understanding of the objectives. Additionally, participants indicated that they were going to implement change back on the ranch in areas such as animal herding using water and salt, reevaluating bull to cow ratios, and more mob or intensive grazing for shorter durations; as examples. To further quantitate this impact, participants in the June 2011 grazing workshop will be contacted in 2012 to determine if they did indeed implement change in their operations. Eleven ranches are in the process of having basic genomic data generated for their base herds. As they continue to learn about this data, they will be able to make management decisions regarding the productivity of their herd based upon these data. There is an increased awareness of beginning ranchers at our other commodity and extension related events. Beginning ranchers are starting to better network with each other.

    Publications

    • Rood, K.A. and C.K Chapman. 2011. Creating Profitable and Sustainable Beginning Utah Ranchers. March 8, 2011. Utah State University Extension Annual Conference. Best Practices Section. Logan, UT