The beef cattle industry in Gordon County is a large sector of our agriculture value. It is estimated that Gordon is home to over 12,000 head of brood cows in cow/calf operations.

In addition we have many producers that stocker out calves after they are weaned.

Plus, we have an active group of producers that raise various breeds of registered cattle.

We also have a viable club calf industry where producers are raising cattle specifically for the show ring.

Today, I will take a few moments to share information on a beneficial replacement heifer evaluation sponsored by UGA College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association.

The development of quality replacement heifers is the lifeblood of any productive cowherd.

If you flip through cattle based magazines, you will normally find several replacements heifer sales advertised each month.

The Georgia HERD Program takes place two times each year in two different parts of the state. The Tifton HERD program is where the September to November born heifers are housed.

Calhoun is home to the program where December through February heifers are evaluated.

If you are familiar with the UGA Bull Test Sales, the birthdates of the heifers is to work with the bull programs. In fact, as the bulls are headed to the sale at the livestock pavilion in Calhoun, the heifers are being received to the Floyd County farm to start their program.

HERD stands for Heifer Evaluation and Reproductive Development program. The deadline for producers to enter heifers for the next Calhoun evaluation is November 7th, 2012.

You can email me for an entry form or you can look up UGA Beef Program on your computer and get the information too.

Heifers may be either registered animals or commercial. Heifers must be homegrown which means you cannot enter purchased heifers in the program.

You also need to know the breed of the sire if not the exact sire of the heifers. As much data on the heifers in yours records that you can provide is better.

It is great to have exact birthdates on the females. It is suggested for producers to be feeding consignments approximately five to seven pounds of feed per day to be getting them in good shape for the evaluation.

What is the importance of the Calhoun HERD program? Last year we have approximately 170 heifers entered for the program.

The heifers were delivered to the farm in early December and then we ended with the annual sale in May.

During this time, heifers are managed to come off the program as top notch replacement females. Our sale in May averaged well over $1700 per confirmed bred heifer.

That is not a bad price for quality replacement heifers.

This sale works to help consigners advertise the heifers produced on their farm and also can help build farmers a heifer market.

This evaluation also provides scientific based data on the quality of replacements they are producing.

The bull evaluation is a gain test while the heifer program is designed to let the heifers gain between 1.5- 1.75 pounds per day.

While in the program heifers will be evaluated for pelvic area, frame score, reproductive tract score and disposition. Part of the program is to offer confirmed bred heifers for the sale.

In fact, heifers must be confirmed as bred to be sale eligible. In February 2013, heifers will be heat-synchronized and bred artificially to known calving ease bulls.

This year the two AI sires are the Angus bulls, HA Program 5652 and LCC New Standard.

After the AI process, heifers will be cleaned up with calving ease Angus bulls.

On Friday, October 26, Gordon County Extension will host the Calhoun HERD Orientation Meeting.

This is a day event where we will educate potential consigners on the entire HERD process and we will visit the farm in Floyd County to show you the facilities, discuss the feed program, do a heifer selection activity and also give folks a chance to see the bulls on test.

If you think you may want to enter heifers on this year’s program and may want to come to the class, call Gordon County Extension at 706-629-8685 or email gbowman@uga.edu.

Also, I am available for farm visits to visually appraise your potential consignments.