Tenneessee Management Program
a Success
By Nancy Carver Singleton
A unique Tennessee program that provides
cost-share funds for beef and dairy herds has made substantial strides
in its first year.
The Cattle Improvement Initiative, which began taking applications
Jan. 1, 2006, seeks to increase Tennessee farm income. Basically,
the initiative provides one-third of the cost for genetic improvement
or livestock handling equipment, said initiative coordinator, Charles
Hord.
Equipment must be on a list of approved items and there are guidelines
for the genetic stock. The initiative had $3.5 million for the fiscal
year that began July 1. “I am really impressed with some of
the equipment they’re buying and some of the improvements they
are making on their farms,” Hord said.
Tennessee came up with the initiative to encourage producers to register
their premises for the National Animal Identification System, he
said. Applicants must register their livestock, farm or premises.
Producers must also be certified under the Beef Quality Assurance
Program.
The state ranks ninth nationally for beef cow numbers, with the average
farm having 30 cows. Since the state has a number of older cattlemen,
it was also hoped that better equipment would improve farm safety. “A
lot of them just needed a little incentive for purchasing the squeeze
chute or the alley,” he said.
When asked about the initiative’s other goal of improving genetics,
Hord quoted the saying, “If you buy a bull, you can improve
a herd 50 percent with one animal.”
For too long, he said, many Tennessee farmers bought their bulls
through livestock barns without knowing anything about the bulls
or the livestock they would produce.
The Cattle Improvement Initiative helped approximately 3,200 producers
in 2006. “We’re really pleased with that level of participation.
I think we’re seeing the benefits of that higher profitability
when those cattle are taken to market,” he said.
Harold Nunnery, Flatwoods, installed a system composed of a Big Valley
20-foot adjustable crowd alley and eight 10-foot corral panels. He
also added co-op creep-feeding and heavy-duty corral panels.
Nunnery pointed to the safety and convenience of the new system as
creating the biggest improvement in his 70-cow beef operation. “When
I heard about the state program, I had been seriously considering
buying some new working equipment and was looking around for a good
deal,” said Nunnery, who previously used mostly “homemade” equipment. “I
figured that the 35 percent cost share was really like getting a
35 percent discount, so I decided to stop looking around any more.
I'm glad I did.”
Stanley Scott, Culleoka, viewed the program as an incentive to make
improvements he’d been planning for his 70-cow beef herd. Scott
bought a sweep tub, panels and a squeeze chute to construct a holding
pen. To prevent settling, he also floored the area with three 20-ton
loads of crushed rock spread over a geo-textile liner.
He said the system, in most cases, makes working an average-sized
herd a one-man job. “If I can get a cow to the barn lot, she’s
mine,” said Scott. “The system is set up in a way that
is not only safe and stress-free for the cattle but for the farmer
as well. It’s the difference between getting hurt or not.”
Hord, citing strong support from Tennesse’s governor and ag
commissioner, anticipates the cost-share funds will continue for
several years. More details and applications are available at picktnproducts.org ©
