2011 South Florida Beef Forage Survey Results

Young heifers at the Range Cattle Research Station. These beef cows are all at least 3/4 Angus. They are part of an attempt to create a white Angus breed. During the summer the white cows, coined "white Angus" by the researchers in Ona, have a body temperature that is one degree cooler than the traditional black Angus. UF/IFAS Photo: Sally Lanigan.UF/IFAS Extension faculty and state specialists involved in the UF/IFAS South Florida Beef-Forage Program (SFBFP), in conjunction with the UF/IFAS Program Evaluation and Organizational Development unit, created a survey in 1982 that is used to evaluate ranch management practices. The survey is updated and distributed every five years to ranchers in 14 south Florida counties: Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Okeechobee, Polk, and Sarasota. There were 102 anonymous responses in 2011. This 6-page fact sheet discusses characteristics of beef operations in south Florida, reproduction, production, marketing, herd health, nutrition, forage production, and environment. Written by Sonja Crawford, Christa Kirby, Tycee Prevatt, Brent Sellers, Maria Silveira, Bridget Stice, Joao Vendramini, and Lindsey Wiggins, and published by the UF Agronomy Department, October 2016.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag410