Goals
The goal of our project is to operate a coastal plain beef cow/calf production system that
maximizes profitability while minimizing ex- penses and having an acceptable impact on the
environment. The main objective is to demonstrate to beef producers and other clientele how
efficiently beef cattle can be produced in eastern N. C. when the production system is managed
intensively. There is no one site that incorporates all of our common production recommendations
with high accessibility to farmers, extension agents, and students. Our system will
be based on intensively managed pastures. The management will continually evolve to correct
for recommendations that prove unmanageable at the farm scale and to allow for the incorporation
of new, research-proven technologies. An advisory committee of faculty, producers,
and industry personnel will provide guidance and set priorities for applied research projects to
evaluate components that may be used in the system.
Our Herd and Land
The beef unit is located on 175 acres that have marginal value for crop production. The
pasture system will be a mixture of warm and cool season forages with controlled grazing
manage-ment. We anticipate maintaining a winter calv-ing, 100 cow herd, which is currently
composed of medium-frame, commercial-crossbred cows. Two sire breeds have been used
in recent years at the beef unit to compare diverse types. One breed is the popular Angus,
which leads all beef breeds in registrations each year. Many producers in North Carolina and
around the country have chosen Angus as their primary genetic base. The other breed we have
used in recent years is Senepol. The Senepol was imported from the Virgin Islands, where the
breed was developed under minimal management on low-quality forage-based diets. Senepol-
influenced cows have better heat and parasite resistance and should perform better in the
hot environment of CEFS. In the coming years an additional breed, Braunvieh, will be compared
to Angus as a sire breed for our two cow types (Angus and Senepol cross). Braunvieh
have superior growth and carcass traits and should compliment our current genetic base.
Key components “best management practices” that will be demonstrated include:
• Record keeping and financial management
• Controlled breeding season
• Multiple off-stream watering points
• Stream exclusion and buffer strips
• Optimal herd health program
• Year-round planned forage system
• Controlled grazing management
• Programmed heifer development
• Effective crossbreeding program, including carcass evaluation
• Strategic marketing program
• Profitable feed supplementation programs.
Long-term evaluation of the system will examine the:
• Fate of nutrients in pasture soils
• Long-term profitability and productivity
• Stand life of pasture plantings.
How are farmers involved in the project?
• Advisory committee meetings
• Tour groups
• Field days.
Supported by:
North Carolina State University
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
North Carolina A&T State University
School of Agriculture
North Carolina Department of Agriculture
The Beef Producers of North Carolina
For more information on this project contact:
Matt Poore, Ph.D.
Beef Nutrition and Management
Department of Animal Science
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
North Carolina State University
Box 7621 Raleigh, NC 27695-7621
Phone: 919-515-7798
email: matt_poore@ncsu.edu
Joe Cassady, Ph.D
Beef and Swine Quantitative Genetics
Department of Animal Science
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
North Carolina State University
Box 7621 Raleigh, NC 27695-7621
Phone: 919-513-0262
email: joe_cassady@ncsu.edu
Mark Alley, D.V.M.
Beef and Dairy Health Management
Department of Population Health and Pathobiology
College of Veterinary Medicine
North Carolina State University
Box 8401 Raleigh, NC 27695-8401
Phone: 919-513-6015
email: mark_alley@ncsu.edu
Eddie Pitzer, Superintendent
Center for Environmental Farming Systems
North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
201 Stevens Mill Rd.
Goldsboro, NC 27530
Phone: 919-731-3270
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