UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Beef producers can consult a new interactive Web site developed by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences for help in scheduling routine management activities for their herds, guidance in keeping thorough records, timely business tips and information about beef-related events.

Progressive beef producers will find the Web site -- http://beefcalendar.cas.psu.edu -- a vital tool for their businesses, believes Karen Vines, distance education coordinator in the dairy and animal science department. "This calendar should help producers hone their management skills by reminding them when to do certain things for their herds," she says, "providing links to beef specialists and beef-related publications and materials, and providing them with access to information about beef-related programs and activities occurring throughout a three-state area."

The calendar is a joint effort of Penn State, Purdue University and the University of Kentucky, developed from a print-version management calendar that is produced annually by the University of Kentucky. State advisory committees worked under the direction of a state coordinator to develop the calendar components appropriate for each specific location. Penn State beef specialist John Comerford served as coordinator for Pennsylvania.

"This interactive tool can be used in a number of ways to assist and organize regular management activities, and some of the other features have additional interest for any beef producer," Comerford says. "We feel this project is an important step in allowing producers to put information technology to use in beef production." By asking producers a series of questions about desired calving dates, breeding methods and weaning ages, the Web site utilizes standard gestation periods to recommend a custom schedule for management of the beef herd.

"We ask producers for information such as their name, state and e-mail address so they can establish an account with password protection, which allows them to visit time after time and use their information confidentially," says Vines. Producers also can use the calendar to record personal dates, such as birthdates, anniversaries, etc.

"The calendar is being revised to include a feature that will allow us to send monthly e-mail reminders to users reminding them of the management activities, beef-related activities schedule and their personal dates for that month," she says.

Another component of the calendar is the inclusion of monthly tips to address seasonal management activities, such as weed control, planting of small grain and forage crops, and animal health measures.

Long term goals for future development of the Web site include the addition of performance and quality assurance records. The site also may grow to assist producers in meeting the requirements of proposed COOL (Country of Origin Labeling) legislation.

In the future, the interactive beef calendar also may serve as a reminder to producers to record treatment records and provide a convenient site for future reference and analysis of herd performance.

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(Editors: To download a high resolution graphic to accompany this story, go to http://ict.cas.psu.edu/news/newsimages/beefcalendar.jpg )

EDITORS: Contact Karen Vines at 814-865-3097 or kvines@psu.edu.

Contact:

Gary Abdullah gxa2@psu.edu Jeff Mulhollem jjm29@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-863-9877 fax #183