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The University of Minnesota and Minnesota Beef Council are collaborating on an overview study mapping the pathways Minnesota beef cattle travel from birth to finish.

The study will provide a foundational overview by documenting and describing the farm-to-feedlot pathways currently being utilized by state beef producers.

“Our team needs producer knowledge and experience in answering survey questions pertaining to management practices and the movement of cattle,” said Dr. Joe Armstrong, DVM, Cattle Production Systems and educator for University of Minnesota Extension. “We want to gather knowledge from Minnesota producers so we can better serve them by tailoring research specific to Minnesota needs.”

The survey is the first step in a larger effort involving a collaboration between the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, Minnesota Beef Council, and University of Minnesota Extension. The research team is being led by Dr. Noelle Noyes with help from Dr. Tim Goldsmith, Dr. Luciano Caixeta, Armstrong, and two veterinary students – Sabina Ponicki and Kaylan Risacher.

“We are all excited to start a project that is specific to cattle production in Minnesota and hope producers are willing to give a few minutes of their time to take the survey,” Armstrong said. “We are striving to use research to provide recommendations that fit the Minnesota cattle industry, not extrapolate from research done in other systems.”

The survey is available online and should take producers 5-10 minutes. Survey results and responses are completely voluntary and confidential.

The survey is available at z.umn.edu/beefpathways.  Participants will have the option to be entered into a raffle that will give away a Pierce VAXmate cooler.