Range Cattle Research and Education Center

Hannah Baker

State Specialized Extension Agent II - Beef Cattle and Forage Economics

Extension Focus (100%)
Originally from Adel, Georgia, I am excited to be returning to the southeast to join the team at the UF/IFAS Range Cattle Research and Education Center in Ona, Florida. I'll be joining the team in June 2023.

I attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College where I obtained a dual degree in Agribusiness and Agriculture with an emphasis in Livestock Production. I interned on cattle ranches in Kansas and Georgia and worked for the UGA Experiment Station as a student research assistant during my time as ABAC. I earned my master’s degree at Oklahoma State University in Agricultural Economics where I developed an economic analysis of rangeland management alternatives. My education and experiences have prepared me for this next step in building a career centered around benefiting the beef cattle industry. In this role, I plan to continuously build on relationships with Florida cattle producers, county agents, and research faculty to efficiently address current issues affecting the Florida beef cattle industry.

Extension program
- Creating valuable relationships with Florida producers, county agents, and research faculty to provide economic information to benefit the Florida Cattle Industry
- Developing & maintaining enterprise budgets for cow-calf operations & forage management
- Providing economic insight on cost-effective management practices supported by research faculty
- Evaluating communication & dissemination methods to producers by collaborating with county agents
- Exploring feasible & profitable winter-feeding alternative options for cattle producers
- Evaluating alternative marketing strategies for beef cattle
- Providing economic information for small farms exploring expansion and/or changes to become more economically efficient

Helpful Resources

Annual report summaries
- January 2025 - Annual Cattle Market Report
- January 2024 - A summary of the bi-annual cattle inventory reports.
- July 2023 - A summary of the bi-annual cattle inventory reports and what they indicate in terms of expansion and prices in the beef cattle industry.

Estimation Tools
- Controlled Calving Season and Revenue Calculator - download Excel Spreadsheet
- Limpograss Establishment Budget - download Excel Spreadsheet
- Replacement Heifer Cost Estimation Tool - download Excel Spreadsheet

Fact Sheets
- Cost of Keeping an Open Cow - view PDF
- Estimating the Investment Cost of Raising Replacement Heifers - view PDF
- Managing Input Costs: The importance of record keeping - view PDF
- The Economic Impact of Raising and Selling a Uniform Calf Crop - view PDF
- The Economic Importance of Sorting Your Cows Based on Their Nutritional Requirements - view PDF
- Steers and Bulls: Price gap, price slides, and the value of additional pounds - view PDF

Florida Cattle Market Update
Published monthly in the Florida Cattleman and Livestock Journal.

2025
- January 2025 - A Snapshot of the January 2025 Annual Cattle Market Report
- February 2025 - Replacement Heifer Inventory: The Past and the Present
- March 2025 - The Importance of Recordkeeping in a Good Year
- April 2025 - Heifers on Feed: Not as Many, but Still Too
2024
- January 2024 - 2024: A year of stabilizing, expanding, or both?
- February 2024 - Characteristics of beef cow operations in Florida, 2022 Ag Census
- March 2024 - Current and Future Feedlot Inventories
- April 2024 - Feedlot Happenings, Carcass Weights, and Beef Supply
- May 2024 - Hay Stocks and Pasture Conditions
- June 2024 - The Cull Cow Market
- July 2024 - Pasture Conditions, Cattle on Feed, & Prices
- August 2024 - Calf Prices & Supplies
- September 2024 - Seasonality Price Trends in Florida
- October 2024 - Still No Sign of Heifer Retention
- November 2024 - Cattle on Feed Placements & Marketings
- December 2024 - A Recap of 2024
2023
- August 2023 - What should producers be expecting this fall?
- September 2023 - How can producers use the female cattle market to plan?
- October 2023 - The 2023 fall season will involve feeding hay but will not involve herd expansion.
- November 2023 - Seasonality price trends and feedlot placements
- December 2023 - What will the new year bring?

Presentations
2025
- Managing Input Costs: The importance of recording keeping
  Presented at the Florida Cattlemen's Institute and Allied Trade Show
  Jan. 23, 2025 - Okeechobee, FL
  View: PDF
2024
- Maximizing Profits: Optimizing what we have
  Presented at the Florida Cattlemen's Institute and Allied Trade Show
  Jan. 24, 2024 - Okeechobee, FL
  View: PDF
  View: Video recording of presentation.
- The Economics of Reproductive Efficiency
  Presented at the South Florida Beef Forage Program (SFBFP) Reproduction School
  April 16 - 18, 2024 - Clewiston, FL (Hendry County)
  View: PDF
- Establishing Bahiagrass: The How-To & Costs
  Presented at the Central Florida Livestock Agents Group (CFLAG) Pasture Management School
  April 22 - 23, 2024 - DeLand, FL (Volusia County)
  View: PDF
- The Economic Impact of Reproductive Efficiency
  Presented at the Central Florida Livestock Agents Group (CFLAG) Repro School
  August 2024
  View: PDF
- Economics of Winter Supplementation: How the Present Affects the Future
  Presented at the SFBFP Winter Supplementation Program.
  Sept. 19, 2024 - Kenansville, FL
  View: PDF
2023
- Economic Impacts of Supplementation: Spending Money to Make Money
  Presented at the Seasonal Resilience: Management Strategies to Maximize Winter Performance, which was hosted by the South Florida Beef Forage Program
  Sept. 14, 2023 - Okeechobee, FL
  View: PDF
  View: Video recording of the presentation.

Education
- M.S. Oklahoma State University - Stillwater, OK, Agricultural Economics, 2023
- B.S. Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College - Tifton, GA, Agribusiness, 2021
- B.S. Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College - Tifton, GA, Agriculture: Livestock production, 2021
- A.S. Georgia Military College - Valdosta, GA, General studies, 2018

Employment

State Specialized Agent II, University of Florida - IFAS Extension, Range Cattle Research and Extension Center, Ona, FL, June 2023 to present.

Publications
- View a full list of Hannah's publications

Range Cattle Research and Education Center

Range Cattle Research and Education Center

Extension program