<p>Sept. 1, 2016</p><p>Agriculture & Natural Resources How to shorten the breeding season</p><p>Family & Consumer Sciences FAFSA changes effective soon</p><p>4-H Youth Development Celebrate National 4-H Week</p><p>How to shorten the breeding season</p><p>Source: Les Anderson, UK beef specialist</p><p>It’s pretty easy for most beef producers to understand that the more calves they sell, the more money they are going to make. Gross income and profitability are driven by the reproductive rate. So, reproductive management is an important but sometimes overlooked aspect of beef cow-calf operations.</p><p>A high reproductive rate in the herd increases the number of calves and can also increase weights at market. A tight breeding season can lower labor costs and the overall cost of production by increasing feed and other efficiencies.</p><p>The most limiting factor of reproductive rates in Kentucky is heat stress. Some 95 percent of beef operations in the state calve in the spring and still have endophyte-infected fescue in their pastures. That combination leads to the potential for heat stress in the summer, which results in lower pregnancy rates and calving rates.</p><p>University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment studies have shown that as you extend your breeding season later into the summer, you reduce your chances of having high reproductive rates. Studies have shown that very few UK cows get pregnant after </p><p>June 20. So it is important that most of the breeding is done within the first 30 days of the season. Most producers have cows that will need special attention. About a month before the breeding season, take pen and paper and head to the pasture. Write down the tag numbers of all your two-year-old females. These cows are not going to be as reproductively efficient as older cows. Also, write down every thin cow, because they are less likely to be as reproductively sound as those carrying more weight.</p><p>Finally, identify all your late-calving cows. These are the cattle that may need assistance to bring them into cycling. Addressing the needs of these cattle with some form of progestin can shorten the breeding cycle as well as increase the pregnancy rate in your herd.</p><p>Producers can use progestin either through a feed supplement or an insert. It is important when using a feed additive to ensure that the cattle are actually eating the feed.</p><p>A cycling cow already has progestin, so it is unnecessary to use it with them.</p><p>For more information on beef cow-calf management contact the (YOUR COUNTY) </p><p>Cooperative Extension Service.</p><p>Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.</p><p>-30-</p><p>FAFSA changes effective soon</p><p>Source: Jennifer Hunter, extension specialist for family financial management</p><p>If you have gone to college or have had a child go, chances are you’ve filled out the Free </p><p>Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as FAFSA. Changes to this form announced by the Obama administration in 2015 are about to go into effect for the 2017-2018 school year. </p><p>One of the biggest changes to the application is how soon you can fill it out. You can submit the form for the 2017-2018 school year beginning Oct. 1, 2016. This is sooner than in previous years. With the filing deadline remaining June 30, 2017, it will give you more time to fill out the form, explore your financial aid options and meet state and school deadlines for aid. Remember,</p><p>Kentucky is a first-come, first-served state when it comes to financial aid awards. You’ll want to get your FAFSA in as soon as possible if you plan on receiving state aid. Once the money is gone, no other awards will be given.</p><p>You now will submit older tax data to the FAFSA. In previous years, college-bound students and their families have had to estimate their income on the FAFSA and update it once they file their taxes. This change does away with the estimation and updating. For the 2017-2018 year, you will submit your 2015 income and taxes. Since these taxes have already been filed, you may be able to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to automatically place your 2015 tax information into your FAFSA.</p><p>The Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority has great information for college- bound individuals and links to useful tools like the FAFSA4caster, which can give you an estimate of your net cost for college now. Visit their website https://www.kheaa.com/website/kheaa/home for more information.</p><p>Extension offices often offer financial education programs for people of all ages. To find one near you, contact the (COUNTY NAME) Extension office.</p><p>Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.</p><p>-30-</p><p>Celebrate National 4-H Week</p><p>Contact: Kim Adams Leger, extension specialist for 4-H youth development</p><p>During the week of Oct. 2-8, more than 6 million young Americans will celebrate National </p><p>4-H Week. The week will showcase the great things that 4-H offers young people and will highlight the incredible 4-H youth who make a positive impact on their communities.</p><p>The Kentucky 4-H program, the largest youth organization in the state, creates an environment for positive youth development. With more than 22,000 volunteers, the program gives hundreds of thousands of young Kentuckians the opportunity to experience a sense of belonging with peers who may share similar interests. 4-H members are encouraged to learn independence and generosity while working toward their goals. They are provided safe environments in which to work, positive role models to look up to and numerous leadership opportunities. Kentucky 4-H helps guide youth in life skills they find interesting and is a rewarding experience for those involved.</p><p>Research has proven that participation in 4-H has a significant positive impact on young people. Recent findings from the Tufts University 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development indicate that, when compared to their peers, young people in 4-H are nearly four times more likely to contribute to their communities, two times more likely to pursue healthy behaviors and two times more likely to engage in science, engineering, technology and math programs outside of school.</p><p>During National 4-H Week, join (COUNTY NAME) in the celebration by coming to the </p><p>(EVENT NAME AND INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE AND WHEN IT TAKES PLACE).</p><p>(MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EVENT AND 4-H PROGRAM)</p><p>For more information about National 4-H Week, contact your (COUNTY NAME) </p><p>Cooperative Extension Service.</p><p>Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin. </p><p>-30-</p>