Just under 1 million head of beef cows graze the fields of the Bluegrass State, more cattle than any other state east of the Mississippi River. With that in mind, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture often cooperates with other agencies to offer educational opportunities to the state’s cattle producers. One of those opportunities is the Kentucky Stocker Conference, set for Oct. 1 at the Fayette County Cooperative Extension office in Lexington.

The conference will begin at 10 a.m. EDT with a presentation from John Davidson, a veterinarian with Novartis Animal Health in College Station, Texas. He will discuss new strategies in the prevention of bovine respiratory disease. At 11 a.m., UK agricultural economist Kenny Burdine will discuss risk management strategies.

After lunch Jeff Lehmkuhler, UK beef cattle specialist, will lead a session about using corn silage and alternative feeds. Burdine will join Lehmkuhler for the last session of the day, “Putting it All Together.” The event will wrap up at 3 p.m.

Registration is $10 at the door. Producers interested in attending may contact their local Cooperative Extension agent for more information.

The Fayette County Cooperative Extension office is located at 1140 Red Mile Place in Lexington. For more detailed directions, visit their website at http://ces.ca.uky.edu/fayette, or call  859-257-5582.

Sponsors of the 2011 Kentucky Stocker Conference are UK Cooperative Extension Service, Central Kentucky AgCredit, Kentucky Bank, Farmer’s Feed Mill/Hallway Feeds, Hinton Mills, Joe Lenahan of Wells Fargo Advisors, Bromagen Commodities and Cargill Animal Nutrition.