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About the author

Greg Halich, PhD

Greg Halich is an Associate Extension Professor at the University of Kentucky in the department of Agricultural Economics. He works extensively with profitability evaluation and improvement in livestock and forages, with a particular focus on the analysis of grazing systems, extended season grazing, and grass-finished beef production. Outside of his official work duties, he raises stocker cattle and produces pasture-finished beef for direct sale near Lexington Kentucky, and is in a partnership that raises sheep and custom grazes beef cattle in upstate New York where he is originally from.

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6 Comments

1. george klopf says:

   August 6, 2020 at 7:34 am

   I’m finishing around 24-34 months, in central Maryland, depending on a lot of factors. Hanging weights are consistently 700+lb.

2. Chuck Neely says:

   August 5, 2020 at 9:00 am

   We don’t butcher any grass fed beeves earlier than about 32 months. #slowbeef

3. Gene Schriefer says:

   August 4, 2020 at 9:12 am

   Maybe Kentucky is too hot and humid in the summer to get adequate intake and maintain high rates of gain?

   My main issue is winter gains are too low. Need to re-examine what and how I’m feeding.

   Wonder what a fall calving herd with calves on cows over winter, weaned onto spring forage would do?

   • Greg Halich says:

     August 4, 2020 at 12:43 pm

     Gene: Kentucky is definitely hot and humid in the summer. My first year in KY, when I came back from walking out to the mailbox on the first really humid day in June and was dripping with sweat, I realized it was going to take me a while to get used to it. I still haven’t! So yes, our gains are probably a little lower compared to the same quality forages further north, but I’m guessing our gains are a bit higher in the winter with our milder winters, as well as having stockpiled fescue which makes a fabulous quality winter forage. We bring in both spring-born and fall-born calves to the farm. I will cover both in the presentation next week.

4. Ethan Walker says:

   August 4, 2020 at 6:35 am

   This is a great article Dr. Halich. Everyone of those Myths I have pondered myself (Myth #1 especially). That was good to hear finishing in 18-22 is almost impossible to achieve. I finished at 22 months and wasn’t excited at the results.

   • Greg Halich says:

     August 4, 2020 at 12:44 pm

     Ethan: What were the results finishing at 22 months and what is your target age now?