Beef Research and Extension Program
 

Jason Ahola leads research and extension programming efforts across the State of Idaho in the areas of beef cattle nutrition, reproduction, management and marketing.

Idaho’s state-wide Beef Extension Program addresses identified needs and concerns of beef producers in Idaho and provides educational leadership to Idaho’s beef industry.  It is a cooperative effort among the University of Idaho’s two state-wide Extension Beef Specialists, Department of Animal and Veterinary Science faculty members, and county Extension Educators.  Beef Extension Programs are also being conducted in partnership with groups including the Idaho Beef Council and Idaho Cattle Association, and the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.

Extension information is disseminated to producers via regional/county winter beef schools, the Intermountain Cow Symposium, the Idaho Beef Council’s Beef 2020 short courses, the Idaho Cattle Association’s Line Rider magazine, the Cow-calf Management Guide and Cattle Producer’s Library (www.avs.uidaho.edu/wbrc/), which is updated annually by the Western Beef Resource Committee, and other means.

Currently, the primary components of Idaho’s Beef Extension Program include producer education on Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) and the rapidly-developing National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in Idaho.  The A-to-Z Retained Ownership Program is also a long-term effort to promote the education of producers on retained ownership through the feedlot, including the collection and dissemination of feedlot and carcass data.