2025 Gate to Plate Tentative Schedule and Overview 

This Professional Development is a collaboration between: 

• The KY Beef Council
• The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment Agricultural Education Program 
• The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment Animal and Food Science Department
• UK Meats Lab 
• Kentucky Department of Education Office of Career and Technical Education. 

Participants will have a three-day professional development which includes demonstration and hands-on opportunities with a cow-calf operation which is most prominent in KY, harvesting animals, taking them from the pasture to the processing facility, and participating in meat processing. Participants will also participate in lectures and demonstrations on food handling safety, how to mitigate risk management with cattle and learn of career opportunities with their students.

Upon completion of this project, participants will 

• Identify working facilities, handling, and management practices in a typical cow-calf operation through visiting Eden Shale Farm
• Classify and identify proper nutrients in a high protein diet utilizing beef through discussion and planning with a registered dietitian.
• Develop teaching strategies for the secondary classroom through utilization of the Beef in the Classroom Curriculum and Meat Judging Curriculum from “One Less Thing” through exploration and teaching demonstrations.
• Demonstrate the harvesting and processing system through a hands-on harvest and hanging of a steer.
• Demonstrate proper food safety and handling procedures by cutting of market and retail cuts of meat of a steer.
• Demonstrate further safety practices through creating a “Better Burger” using fresh ground beef, smoking beef brisket, and tri-tips.
• Identify ways to problem-solve risk management of beef cattle on a farm
• Classify and utilize Expected Progeny Data (EPDs) when selecting sires for cattle
• Design and provide proper animal nutrition to achieve desired outcomes for performance, development, and economic production by utilizing feed rations and specific feedstuffs

The $150 cost of the training includes housing (double occupancy), travel to farm visits, equipment, curriculum, and food. The information below is a TENTATIVE schedule subject to changing in times as we get closer to the actual PD. Please direct questions to Dr. Gregg Rentfrow (gkrent2@uky.edu), Dr. Rebekah Epps (rebekah.epps@uky.edu), or Mr. Bradon Burks (bburks@kycattle.org). 

Tuesday, June 24th (Optional):

• Arrive at UK Dorm:
  • Woodland Glen IV

Wednesday, June 25^th

• Arrive at UK Dorm:
  • Woodland Glen IV
  • 8:15 AM to 8:45 AM
  • Receive room assignments, parking instructions, sweet treats for breakfast, etc.
• Travel to Eden Shale Farm:
  • Load bus by 9:00 AM
  • 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM 
  • Transportation provided
• Tour of Eden Shale Farm with Dan Miller, KBN:
  • 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
• Lunch:
  • Provided by KBC
  • 11:30 AM to 12:15 PM
• Travel to Blue Grass Stockyards:
  • 12:15 PM to 1:00 PM
• Tour of Blue Grass Stockyards:
  • 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
• Opportunities for Teacher’s/Youth through KBC and KCA:
  • 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
• Beef Nutrition with Alex Scott, KBC:
  • 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM
• Beef Quality Care and Assurance with Jake Harrod, KBN:
  • 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
• Mitigating Beef Cattle Chaos
  • A Risk Management Approach to Farming and Ranching
  • 4:30-5:30 PM
• Final Thoughts/Wrap-Up Day One:
  • 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
  • Build a Burger Brainstorm
  • Dinner at Bluegrass Stockyards provided by KBC
  • Load bus to return to Lexington

Thursday, June 26th:

• Welcome and Breakfast 
  • 8:30-9:00 AM 
• Harvest and Hanging of Steer, Market Cuts
  • 9:00-11:00 AM
• Meats Evaluation
  • 11:00 AM -12:00 PM
• Build a Burger Culinary Challenge 
  • Noon-1:30 PM

• Ribeye Expert Dr. Gregg Rentfrow
  • 2:30-4:00
• Market and Policy Update with Kyle Kelly, KY Farm Bureau
• Animal Nutrition and Feeding
  • Dr. Jeff Lehmkuhler
  • Feed Rations,
  • Feedstuffs
• Dinner at UK Meats Lab

Friday, June 27th:

• Breakfast 
  • 8:30-9:00 AM

• Brisket Burnt Ends
  • 9:00-11:00 AM
  • Dr. Lyda Garcia, The Ohio State University
• Tri-Tip Triathalon and Cooking
  • 11:00-2:00 PM
  • Dr. Jimmy Klotz
• Reproduction
  • Dr. Les Anderson
  • Quantitative Breeding Methods
  • EPDs

• Wrap-up/Evaluation