News Update
Dec. 3, 2010

NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen to Celebrate 200th Episode on RFD-TV 

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA’s) Cattlemen to Cattlemen will celebrate its 200th episode with a live broadcast from Washington, D.C., on Tues., Dec. 7, 2010, at 8:30 p.m. EST. The special live show will feature a behind-the-scenes look at the program, an appearance by noted cowboy personality Baxter Black and interviews with House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) as well as with NCBA President Steve Foglesong and NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall.

The program will be re-broadcast on RFD-TV on Wed., Dec. 8, at 10:30 a.m. EST and Sat., Dec. 11, at 9 a.m. EST. All episodes of the NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen are available on the website at www.cattlementocattlemen.org.

— Adapted from release by NCBA; to see full release, visit www.beefusa.org.

Tri-State Cow-Calf Symposium Program Set in St. Francis, Kan., Jan. 12

Succeeding in a Challenging Beef Industry is the focus for the 2011 Tri-State Cow-Calf Symposium and Trade Show scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011.

Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the program starting at 10 a.m. and running through 3 p.m. CST at the Riverside County Club in St. Francis, Kan. The symposium is held in conjunction with a trade show. Attendees will have time to visit displays throughout the day.

The annual symposium rotates between Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado and is a joint effort among Kansas State University (K-State) Research & Extension, University of Nebraska Extension and Colorado State University Extension. The goal of the symposium is to bring a quality educational program and excellent guest speakers to visit with beef cattle producers about current issues in the beef industry.

The program will begin with “Systems Approach to Lowering Winter Feed Costs,” presented by Aaron Stalker, University of Nebraska ruminant nutritionist. K-State Research and Extension northwest area Livestock Specialist Sandy Johnson will discuss the “Importance of and Factors Affecting Body Condition Scoring.” The morning will end with a program discussing “Current Issues in Beef Cattle Genetics.”

Dan Thomson, with the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine, will present “Animal Welfare: More than Checking a Box.” An industry panel discussion on “Beef Production in a High Input Environment” will end the symposium.

The registration cost is $20 and $15 for the second person from the same operation, on or before Jan. 5, 2011. Registration will be available at the door for $30. Included in the registration fee will be trade show activities, coffee and rolls, meal and handouts from the presenters.  

For further details contact Marty Fear, Sunflower Extension District livestock agent at 785-332-3171 or Sandy Johnson, northwest area livestock specialist at 785-462-6281.

— Release by K-State Research & Extension.

Cattle Trails Cow-Calf Conference set for Jan. 7

Cattle producers looking to take advantage of the latest science-based updates on herd and operational management practices should register now to attend the Jan. 7 Cattle Trails Cow-Calf Conference in Lawton, Okla.

The conference is a collaborative effort between the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service and Texas AgriLife Extension Service, and alternates between Lawton and Wichita Falls, Texas, in successive years. Its purpose is to help cattle owners drive their animals to profit.

“We’re excited about partnering with Texas AgriLife to enhance our educational and skill-building programs for cattle producers, many of whom attended our longtime Southwest Cattle Conference that we phased out in favor of this opportunity,” said Bob LeValley, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension area livestock specialist.

The Jan. 7 conference will take place from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Comanche County Fairgrounds Coliseum, located at 920 SW Sheridan Rd. Cost is $20 per participant, which will include a noon meal, refreshment breaks and proceedings of the topics discussed at the conference.

“Although preregistration is not required to attend, we encourage people to do so if possible because it aids in our planning for meals, refreshments and the printing of conference materials,” LeValley said.

To register, producers should contact their local Cooperative Extension county office. Anyone seeking additional information should contact LeValley by e-mail at bob.levalley@okstate.edu or by phone at 580-255-0546.

The keynote speaker will be James Henderson of the Bradley 3 Ranch near Memphis, Texas. Bradley 3 Ranch has bred Angus cattle for more than 50 years.

“He will discuss fitting cow herds to the country,” said Stan Bevers, Texas AgriLife Extension economist. “The cow herd at the Bradley 3 Ranch is run in some of the roughest country in the Texas Panhandle. Net return per cow drives their decisions, not fads or fashions.”

Topics of this year’s sessions will include potential improvements in reproduction efficiency, new paradigms in the cow-calf business, value-added marketing opportunities, a review of new trichomoniasis rules for Texas and Oklahoma, forage utilization and pasture management.

Sessions will be led by experts from OSU’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and Texas A&M University.

— Release by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.

Free Workshop to Explain Farm Contracts

Farmers can learn more about their farm contracts and what they can do to reduce risks through an Ohio State University (OSU) Extension farm contract law workshops.

“Keeping Up with Contracts” will be held Dec. 9 from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. at the Ohio State University Newark Campus, Hopewell Hall South, Room 68, 1189 University Drive, Newark, Ohio. The workshop is offered by OSU Extension’s Agricultural and Resource Law Program.

The workshop is free, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) North Central Risk Management Education Center. However, attendance is limited so participants are encouraged to register by Dec. 6.

Participants will work with agricultural attorneys to learn how to create a legal contract, understand contract terms, assess contracts for the farm, build a contracts library and enforce legal rights. Contracts that will be reviewed include fruit and vegetable production, farmer’s market, grain production, restaurant or store vendor, meat production, animal breeding, farm leases, easements, alternative energy, mineral/oil and gas, and financing arrangements.

Workshop speakers include Peggy Hall, OSU Extension Agricultural and Resource Law Program; Robert Moore, Wright Law Company; and Chad Endsley, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.

For more information, or to register, log on to http://licking.osu.edu/news/risk-management-workshop-keeping-up-with-contracts.

— Release by Ohio State University Extension.

— Compiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.