Project Number: 1932-21630-003-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Sep 25, 2007
End Date: Sep 24, 2012

Objective:
1: Produce a 12-month supply of pasture-based beef by expanding the harvest window with retention of acceptable meat quality. 2: Develop criteria for pasture raised beef that define ¿the window of acceptability¿. 3: Identify management and nutritional strategies for minimizing weaning stress in calves. 4: Develop tools for pasture-based beef producers to assess and manage risk.

Approach:
Steers and heifers of different frame scores will be utilized to expand the harvest window to improve market accessibility. Livestock behavior will be related to metabolic stress markers to improve livestock well-being and management. Modeling will be utilized to minimize growth lag following grazing events during the entire production season as well as seasonal extremes. Responsibilities for each stage of the production stream are assigned to specific institutions to minimize redundancy and maximize resource-use efficiency. Risk analysis is conducted on each production stage. Outcomes include feasible strategies to produce high quality beef products, strategies to meet the energy and protein needs of grazing livestock twelve months a year, and production systems that yield higher profit margins for livestock producers.