Virginia Tech, Blacksburg
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The Alphin-Stuart Livestock Teaching Arena was completed and opened in spring 2004. The centerpiece of the facility is a 125-foot-by-250-foot indoor arena with seating for approximately 800. The building also includes offices and classroom space.
An Angus herd has been part of the Virginia Tech program for 81 years. Cattle are used for both research and teaching on campus.
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The 2004 National Angus Tour will begin at the new Alphin-Stuart Livestock Teaching Arena on the Virginia Tech campus at Blacksburg. In addition to viewing display cattle, a program is planned that will focus on the use of technology in herd management and breeding decisions. Current techniques in ultrasound evaluation of carcass merit, embryo transfer, estrus synchronization and body condition scoring will be demonstrated. The program is designed to present short, state-of-the-art demonstrations on each topic as tour participants move from station to station.
The beef cattle program at Virginia Tech is dedicated to producing functional cattle with balanced traits and providing students with a well-rounded education and hands-on experience. The breeding of beef cattle began at Tech in the early 1900s. Angus cattle were introduced on campus in 1923 with a donation of one bull and three cows from E.L. Hampton of Nashville, Tenn.
The cattle herds, which include Angus and four other breeds, maintain a fall- and spring-calving schedule to meet teaching and research demands. Both herds are bred exclusively by artificial insemination and include an embryo transfer program. Research at the beef units emphasizes methods of improving reproductive efficiency and nutritional factors influencing cow and calf performance. Bill Beal coordinates the research herd, and Dan Eversole coordinates the teaching herd.
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