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Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture students get hands-on experience with fall, spring calving

Gayle Smith
Courtesy photoChad Cronk from Curtis, NE, Amanda Rehbein from Benkelman, NE, and Kurtis Gierhan from Lexington, NE, are students enrolled in the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis 100-cow program.

Not many ranchers have an opportunity to see the benefits and disadvantages of spring versus fall calving, without investing a significant amount of money. However, under a new program offered at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, students have an opportunity to receive hands-on experience in both fall and spring calving and make their own decisions.

According to Dave Smith, division coordinator for agriculture production systems at the college, the livestock program received a grant last year from Heifer International for $20,000. “We had been considering adding a fall calving program for a while now, but we just didn’t have the resources to do that. This grant provided us with enough money to buy a small herd of heifers,” he says.

The college has had a spring calving herd of primarily black cattle that calve in February. Smith wanted to start a fall calving herd so students could see the way the two herds can be managed differently during calving seasons, as well as the feeding and marketing options available.



Working with the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte, Smith says they were able to purchase some heifers that were culled from the spring calving herd at the Gudmundsen Ranch in Hyannis, NE. “These were heifers from their spring calving herd that came in open, and they had been put in a feedlot,” he says.

The heifers are red composites made up Simmental and Red Angus. They weighed around 900 pounds, but Smith says they should have a mature weight of 1,100 to 1,150 pounds.



Not many ranchers have an opportunity to see the benefits and disadvantages of spring versus fall calving, without investing a significant amount of money. However, under a new program offered at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, students have an opportunity to receive hands-on experience in both fall and spring calving and make their own decisions.

According to Dave Smith, division coordinator for agriculture production systems at the college, the livestock program received a grant last year from Heifer International for $20,000. “We had been considering adding a fall calving program for a while now, but we just didn’t have the resources to do that. This grant provided us with enough money to buy a small herd of heifers,” he says.

The college has had a spring calving herd of primarily black cattle that calve in February. Smith wanted to start a fall calving herd so students could see the way the two herds can be managed differently during calving seasons, as well as the feeding and marketing options available.

Working with the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte, Smith says they were able to purchase some heifers that were culled from the spring calving herd at the Gudmundsen Ranch in Hyannis, NE. “These were heifers from their spring calving herd that came in open, and they had been put in a feedlot,” he says.

The heifers are red composites made up Simmental and Red Angus. They weighed around 900 pounds, but Smith says they should have a mature weight of 1,100 to 1,150 pounds.

Not many ranchers have an opportunity to see the benefits and disadvantages of spring versus fall calving, without investing a significant amount of money. However, under a new program offered at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, students have an opportunity to receive hands-on experience in both fall and spring calving and make their own decisions.

According to Dave Smith, division coordinator for agriculture production systems at the college, the livestock program received a grant last year from Heifer International for $20,000. “We had been considering adding a fall calving program for a while now, but we just didn’t have the resources to do that. This grant provided us with enough money to buy a small herd of heifers,” he says.

The college has had a spring calving herd of primarily black cattle that calve in February. Smith wanted to start a fall calving herd so students could see the way the two herds can be managed differently during calving seasons, as well as the feeding and marketing options available.

Working with the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte, Smith says they were able to purchase some heifers that were culled from the spring calving herd at the Gudmundsen Ranch in Hyannis, NE. “These were heifers from their spring calving herd that came in open, and they had been put in a feedlot,” he says.

The heifers are red composites made up Simmental and Red Angus. They weighed around 900 pounds, but Smith says they should have a mature weight of 1,100 to 1,150 pounds.

Not many ranchers have an opportunity to see the benefits and disadvantages of spring versus fall calving, without investing a significant amount of money. However, under a new program offered at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, students have an opportunity to receive hands-on experience in both fall and spring calving and make their own decisions.

According to Dave Smith, division coordinator for agriculture production systems at the college, the livestock program received a grant last year from Heifer International for $20,000. “We had been considering adding a fall calving program for a while now, but we just didn’t have the resources to do that. This grant provided us with enough money to buy a small herd of heifers,” he says.

The college has had a spring calving herd of primarily black cattle that calve in February. Smith wanted to start a fall calving herd so students could see the way the two herds can be managed differently during calving seasons, as well as the feeding and marketing options available.

Working with the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte, Smith says they were able to purchase some heifers that were culled from the spring calving herd at the Gudmundsen Ranch in Hyannis, NE. “These were heifers from their spring calving herd that came in open, and they had been put in a feedlot,” he says.

The heifers are red composites made up Simmental and Red Angus. They weighed around 900 pounds, but Smith says they should have a mature weight of 1,100 to 1,150 pounds.

Not many ranchers have an opportunity to see the benefits and disadvantages of spring versus fall calving, without investing a significant amount of money. However, under a new program offered at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, students have an opportunity to receive hands-on experience in both fall and spring calving and make their own decisions.

According to Dave Smith, division coordinator for agriculture production systems at the college, the livestock program received a grant last year from Heifer International for $20,000. “We had been considering adding a fall calving program for a while now, but we just didn’t have the resources to do that. This grant provided us with enough money to buy a small herd of heifers,” he says.

The college has had a spring calving herd of primarily black cattle that calve in February. Smith wanted to start a fall calving herd so students could see the way the two herds can be managed differently during calving seasons, as well as the feeding and marketing options available.

Working with the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte, Smith says they were able to purchase some heifers that were culled from the spring calving herd at the Gudmundsen Ranch in Hyannis, NE. “These were heifers from their spring calving herd that came in open, and they had been put in a feedlot,” he says.

The heifers are red composites made up Simmental and Red Angus. They weighed around 900 pounds, but Smith says they should have a mature weight of 1,100 to 1,150 pounds.