UNIVERSITY TO GO ALL BEEF ON DEMONSTATION FARM; THE DECISION CAME AFTER TALKING WITH A CONSULTANT

To accommodate the interests of agriculture students, Southeast Missouri State University literally will beef up its Demonstration Farm next fall.

"More students are interested in beef," said Southeast agriculture department chairman, Dr. Danny Terry. "The change in curriculum should give more students the experience they need to learn how decisions are made in day-to-day beef operations."

The switch from a dairy and beef farm to a strictly beef-cattle operation will bring about some changes in personnel, products and yearly expenses.

Southeast agriculture professor Bill Ellis, whose field of expertise is beef, will become the farm manager. He will answer to the new chairman and a faculty committee. Ellis will direct a full-time herdsman and several part-time student workers.

Neil Herman, who manages the dairy and beef farm, is still not sure where he will fit into the new plan; however, Ellis said Herman will be invited to apply for a full-time position when the job is advertised soon.

"We will still need a full-time herdsman, and there will probably be more student workers with the beef operation than there were with the dairy and beef farm," Ellis said.

Terry already has accepted the same job he now holds at Western Illinois University in Macomb. Terry said that while he will be making a lateral move as far as job title is concerned, the position at Macomb will bring a significant salary increase.

A search to replace Terry will begin soon.

Kim Grimes, assistant dairy herdsman before resigning last week, said the only students she saw during her two-year tenure at the Demonstration Farm were the four workers who held part-time jobs. "I never saw students coming out for projects, and it was rare to see members of the faculty," Grimes said.

Grimes was working on her third six-month contract that would have expired in June. In order to take a full-time dairy herdsman's position in Iowa, Grimes turned in her resignation before her contract expired. "It's for a lot more money and benefits," she said. "I never had benefits when I worked here.

Grimes said she leaves with mixed emotions.

"I wish the faculty and advisory committee would have given dairy more of a chance, but I understand a decision had to be made, and it's now a done deal," Grimes said. "All I wish is that the beef operation includes demonstrations on the reproduction process, feeding and other areas."

Ellis said beef cattle will provide a better opportunity to use the farm as a learning lab.

"Dairy cattle require tender, loving care by the same people every day," Ellis said. "Taking them out of that routine interrupts their cycle and decreases their ability to produce milk significantly."

But to give students an opportunity to learn, you have to give them the chance to change the routine, he said.

Southeast's agriculture faculty, after hearing from a consultant from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and a 12-member advisory committee, decided to make the change to a beef operation last summer.

"If we would have gone in the direction of dairy, we would have needed to buy more dairy cattle, and that would have been too costly," Ellis said. "This way we can sell the dairy equipment in the parlor for a good price and also the periphery equipment that needed to be upgraded."

The sale of equipment and dairy cattle is expected to defray the cost of the transition, which is expected to be completed in the fall.

Southeast gives former owners of the farm, Fred and Edith Ristig, an annual payment of $24,000 or 15 percent of the gross, cash sales of annual farm products.

Since taking possession of the farm in 1976, Southeast has amassed an accumulative debt of move than $50,000. However, Ellis said the dairy and cattle operation was operating "about even" for the last two to three years.

Ellis said beef cattle is just part of the curriculum for agriculture majors. "We would like to do some yield trials with wheat, corn and beans as well as some trials with alfalfa," Ellis said.

"We plan to work very closely with Roger Eakins and Gerald Bryant, both of whom are on the University of Missouri agriculture faculty." Eakins' expertise is livestock and Bryant is in forage.

"We're talking about both Roger and Gerald working with the University of Missouri and others to get us assistance in donations of chemicals, seed and the alfalfa project," Ellis said.

Ellis said he also will work to enhance the overall look of the farm.