Spotlight on AngUS e Special Section f

to name a few. Matt thinks it is crucial to use grazing practices to best utilize the forages we have in this region. He feels that rotational grazing and planting varieties that will result in the most yield and nutritional value to the cattle are key.

cattle for sale through its annual Wolfpack Round-Up Sale, held this year on April 15 at the Beef Unit. The sale is another teaching opportunity as it is organized and carried out by the Livestock Merchandising class at N.C. State University.

herd that works and stays in production.”

Matt says they have been really happy with the females out of Capitalist 316. They have also used some 316 Exclusive and are excited to see what those cattle can do. They’ve even reached back and grabbed some older bulls that were known for making tremendous females.

Matt and the student workers have also been working hard to cyclically improve their pastures. They utilize cover crops and are renovating pastures by using ryegrass, crabgrass, black oats, cereal rye, and sorghum sudangrass,

Matt’s goals for the Beef Unit are pretty lofty. He says, “We’ve made a lot of progress over the last few years and that’s just setting us up for what’s next. I think that we have to keep our true purpose in mind. We are a teaching farm first, and so we continue to strive to use our Angus cows to teach our students through hands-on experience, but also through leading by example. Showing students cattle in a production system and the advancements that can be made through selection and management are key. We continue to focus on increasing fertility in things like A.I. conception rate and E.T. conception rate. We hope to continue teaching students while putting together a set of Angus cows that will work for the producers of our region.” The Unit does offer

I asked Matt what is the one thought he would want a first time visitor to the Beef Unit to leave with. He wants them to be amazed at what their students and classes are able to do with the kind of cattle that they are putting together.