Virginia’s strong beef industry includes more than 650,000 beef cows raised on more than 26,000 farms across all regions of the commonwealth. The state’s abundant forage resources and topography are ideally suited for beef production. Virginia is primarily a cow-calf state, with most calves sold as feeder cattle and transported to the Eastern Corn Belt or Midwest to be fed. The strong cow-calf sector is supported by a progressive seedstock industry. The stocker cattle industry is also significant in the state, taking advantage of the state’s pasture resources.
Extension programs serving the beef cattle industry address all of these segments. The primary focus of these programs is to enhance the profitability and sustainability of beef cattle production systems through enhanced production efficiency and value-added ventures.
Current News and Information
- 2013 Tri-State Beef Conference
- The sixth Tri-State Beef Conference will be held August 8th and 9th at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Abingdon, VA. The conference will begin on the afternoon of August 8th with a virtual tour of beef operations in both Tennessee and Virginia followed by a question and answer session with the producers themselves. The tour will be followed by educational sessions on heifer development for both the cow/calf producer and stocker operator and pasture weed control. We will end the evening with a meal and speaker, Dr. John Anderson with the American Farm Bureau Federation. On Friday the 9th, there will be several speakers covering market outlook and planning, risk management, health and behavior impact on performance, and much more. A steak lunch will be provided followed by a look at the “big picture” by Tom Brink with JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeders. A trade show will accompany the conference, and include representatives from agribusiness firms supporting the beef business including animal health and equipment companies, feed suppliers, marketing agencies, lending institutions and related businesses. The meeting is being sponsored by Virginia Cooperative Extension, University of Tennessee Extension, and North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
- Registration for the conference is $20 before August 1 and $25 after August 1.
- 2013 Tri-State Beef Confernence Brochure and Registration (PDF | 202KB)
- For more information, please contact your local extension agent.
- 2012 - 2013 Winter Beef Webinar Series
- 2011-12 Winter Beef Webinar Series
- Frost Seed Clover in 2012 (PDF | 120KB)
- Virginia Cattle - How Do We Stack Up? (PDF | 111KB)
- Antibiotic Use in Livestock Under Increased Scrutiny (PDF | 94KB)
- BCIA Stands Behind Its Breeding Soundness Exams (PDF | 157KB)
- Ten Steps to Buying the Right Bull
- Phosphorus Supplementation of Beef Cows
- Implant Calves This Year
- Yearling Bull Management
- Bull Selection: Establishing Benchmarks
- Playing the Cards You're Dealt
- Preventing Scours in the Upcoming Calving Season
- Understanding and Utilizing Across Breed EPDs
- Remember What Drives Profitability in the Cow-Calf Business
- Managing Pastures for Stocker Operation
- Value of Crossbreeding
- Across-breed EPD tables
- 2009 - 2010 Winter Webinar Series
- 2010 - 2011 Winter Beef Webinar Series
- VQA Fall 2010 EPD Sire Minimums