Cattlemen’s Boot Camp Is May 21-22
SAINT JOSEPH, Mo. — The American Angus Association® and Virginia Tech will host a Cattlemen’s Boot Camp May 21-22 at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
Open to all cattle producers, Cattlemen’s Boot Camps are funded by the Angus Foundation and are packed with a day and a half of educational material and speakers.
Association, university and industry experts will present a variety of topics, including business approaches in the beef industry; effective herd health; forage-based cow herd nutrition; genetic goals; strategies to maximize reproductive efficiency; management factors affecting carcass quality; and carcass value.
Hands-on lab sessions will include forage analyses; identification (ID) basics; bull and heifer selection; and cow condition scoring.
A live cattle evaluation exercise is scheduled, and a meat lab will take participants through carcass evaluation, grid pricing, carcass cut-out values and sensory analysis.
A producer panel also will focus on the value of Angus genetics in commercial crossbreeding programs.
“Boot Camps were designed as intensive educational opportunities for cattle producers of all levels to either brush up on their current industry knowledge or learn the basics,” says Shelia Stannard, Association director of activities and events. “This is a great way for the Association and Angus Foundation to partner with universities that have the facilities and industry experts to strengthen producers knowledge for the future.”
Registrations, at $75, are due April 30 and cover meals and materials. To register, visit www.angus.org or request a registration form from the Association Activities Department at 816-383-5100. Late or walk-in registrations are not accepted.
The Hilton Garden Inn will serve as hotel headquarters. To reserve a room, call 540-552-5005 by April 30 and ask for the American Angus group rate; or visit www.blacksburg.hgi.com and enter group code ANGUS.
An additional Boot Camp is planned for August at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Watch www.angus.org for further details as they become available.
The American Angus Association is the nation’s largest beef organization, serving more than 30,000 members across the United States and Canada. It provides programs and services to farmers, ranchers and others who rely on the power of Angus to produce quality genetics for the beef industry and quality beef for consumers.
For more information about Angus cattle and the American Angus Association’s programs and services, please visit www.angus.org.
Editor’s Note: This article was provided as a news release by the American Angus Association.