Virginia Cow/Calf Management Course Will be Offered This Fall/Winter

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The Virginia Cow/Calf Management Course is a basic course for cow/calf producers in the Mid-Atlantic region and surrounding areas. The course provides information and skill building in cowherd nutrition, genetics, health, reproduction and marketing. Extension Beef Cattle Specialists, Extension agents, veterinarians, and experienced beef producers serve as instructors for the course.

The 2007-2008 Cow/Calf Management course will combine at-home learning with an intensive two and one half-day hands-on session. The at-home portion of the course can be received through mailings or over the internet. Each month from October through March beef producers will receive a section of the course complete with study questions. The course consists of almost 30 lessons grouped into 5 different topic areas. Producers will be able to ask questions of instructors through an electronic bulletin board or via telephone.

VT Cow Camp will be March 7-9, 2008 on the Virginia Tech campus. Another location may be scheduled if numbers of participants warrants an additional location. This two and one half day hands-on session with cattle will teach producers how to body condition score cows, process baby calves, vaccinate cattle, and handle cows and calves. Sessions on selection of bulls and heifers, and applied genetics will be included. Producers will learn how to handle calving problems and weak newborn calves. Reproductive anatomy, breeding soundness evaluations, the latest estrus synchronization systems, and reproductive management will be taught.

This course was previously offered from 1999-2007, and over 700 beef producers completed the course. The 2007-2008 VA Cow/Calf Management course will be very similar to the previous course with a few updates. Producers may enroll in the at-home portion of the course or the combination of the at-home portion and VT Cow Camp. The cost of the at-home portion of the course alone is $50. The cost of the at-home portion plus VT Cow Camp is $150. The cost for couple or farm (2 people) at-home portion and VT Cow Camp is $250. Registration deadline is September 20, 2007. To register for the course on-line go to http://www.ext.vt.edu/cowcalf/index.html . For more information, contact Dr. John B. Hall, Extension Beef Specialist at jbhall@vt.edu or 540-231-9153 or Ms. Brenda Caldwell at
540-231-5253.