(02/02/22) BATON ROUGE, La. — After a national search, LSU AgCenter extension agent Ashley Edwards has been chosen to be the Louisiana state livestock beef specialist.

Edwards will become the point of contact for beef cattle issues and will lead education and outreach efforts for producers throughout Louisiana.

“Dr. Edwards brings several years of experience to the position,” said Tara Smith, director of the Central Region and interim director of the Northwest Region for the AgCenter. “As the state specialist, she will have statewide responsibilities and will work with and through other faculty and agents to develop a comprehensive and cohesive extension program focused on our beef cattle industry in the state.”

During her career at the AgCenter, Edwards has implemented several innovative projects focused on education and outreach, including the Geaux Beef heifer development program, the Beef Brunch online educational series and a beginner cattle producer class.

“I’m hoping that we’re able to take some of those programs and make them statewide,” Edwards said.

Edwards grew up on a cattle operation in central Texas and graduated from Texas A&M University with a doctorate in 2015. She served as an assistant professor of animal sciences at Louisiana Tech University before moving to the AgCenter.

After joining the AgCenter in December 2019 as an extension agent working across central and north Louisiana, Edwards began visiting ranchers, leading workshops and assisting with 4-H. A few months into her tenure as an extension agent, the COVID-19 pandemic began. Edwards developed innovative online methods for reaching cattle producers, creating podcasts and videos. Along with a team of cattle experts, Edwards led the Beef Brunch series of web-based seminars and news briefings.

As the state beef specialist, Edwards plans to continue her internet-based outreach and expand the Geaux Beef heifer development program, which began as a pilot project at the LSU AgCenter Hill Farm Research Station near Homer. Through Geaux Beef, producers can send heifers to AgCenter experts, who can help the cattle grow and develop while studying them and collecting data on growth, feed efficiency, temperament and other important information.

“It helps them get that data that they might not be able to get at home,” Edwards said. “We’re able to help them increase their record-keeping and take a look at not only their heifers but their performance as a whole.”

For producers who do not have the pasture space to grow their own heifers, Geaux Beef will help them keep young female cattle that can eventually give birth to calves.

“They don’t have to buy new replacements every year — or maybe not as many new replacements every year,” Edwards said. “Hopefully, it’s a little bit of a cost savings for them, too.”

Over the past year, Edwards and a team of AgCenter livestock experts also have founded the Beginner Cattleman Program, a class series focused on teaching new cattle producers the basics of reproduction, genetics, nutrition, animal handling and cattle health.

“We have a lot of people that want to get into the cattle business or have just gotten into the cattle business within the last 10 years, so our goal was to target that population,” Edwards said.

These new initiatives will complement the Master Cattleman classes available in each region of the state, Edwards said.

In addition to her duties as the state livestock beef specialist, Edwards will conduct livestock research. She also plans to continue working with 4-H along with her husband, who volunteers for the youth development organization and leads barbecue and grilling workshops.

As she begins her new role, Edwards wants to maintain a close relationship with cattle producers throughout the state.

“Our whole reason for being here is to be able to help address the needs of producers,” Edwards said. “I’m always open to suggestions, open to hearing how the producers across the state could benefit from us.”