April is a busy time on most farms and I'm sure your farm is no exception. Spring ryegrass harvesting and corn planting is underway, and calving season is in full swing for our smaller herds. I'm sure it can be a challenge to manage your business from the field.

With that being said, I hope that you will check your mailboxes next month for the Georgia ACC for Beef referendum ballot and cast your vote. This checkoff, which is managed by Georgia producers, funds production research for beef and dairy cattle, and the promotion of beef to Georgia's 10 million consumers.

Although your primary business is producing milk, you also produce beef from the cows you send to market, or the bull calves you sell. In fact, 10 to 15 percent of a dairy farm's income comes from the sale of cull cows and bull calves.

The dairy beef market is also an integral part of the beef supply chain, with 22 percent of the beef consumed in the U.S. coming from dairy cattle.

Research shows that about 44 percent of the meat from dairy animals now is used as healthy lean beef cuts - like flat iron steak. Market dairy cows also produce enough ground beef to provide more than 28 quarter-pound burgers for every person in the U.S. every year!

The first referendum for the state Beef research checkoff was held in 2014. If you voted then, you should automatically receive your ballot in May. If you did not vote in 2014, you can contact the GA Dept. of Agriculture to request your ballot. Let's continue to support this checkoff program and your beef businesses!

Farrah Newberry