BEEF CATTLE WORKSHOP STRETCHES ACROSS NATIONS

COLLEGE STATION — A workshop that will focus on livestock production systems and natural resources conservation in the semi- arid region of South Texas and northern Mexico will be held Feb. 26- 27 in Ciudad Victoria.

“South Texas and northern Mexico, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and Coahuila have this tremendous common-ness in their resources,” said Wayne Hamilton, director of the Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management at Texas A&M University.

This range resource has long provided the underpinning for cattle ranching, the development of hunting enterprises and most recently, ecotourism, Hamilton said.

“But the area also has a lot of common problems,” he said. “Because of the similarity of problems and opportunities, they should be handled as one area and the producers and scientists from both sides of the Rio Grande should be able to work together toward the solution of some of the problems and development of some of the opportunities that we have.”

The topics at the workshop will have simultaneous translation and will be addressed by speakers from universities in Texas and northern Mexico.

The first day’s program begins at 10 a.m. with a welcome and meeting orientation.

Speakers will discuss beef production systems; matching genotypes with the production environments; beef cattle reproduction and management; range animal nutrition; animal health issues; and ranch administration.

The next morning’s program will focus on integrating livestock production systems with whitetail deer management in both regions. Additionally, participants will be able to take part in a “practical exercise,” giving them hands-on time with computers to work with the Nutrition Balance Analyzer and Standardized Performance Analysis programs developed at Texas A&M University.

After lunch, all presenters, university and agency personnel, industry representatives and interested producers will meet to discuss research needs suggested within the presentation topics.

The meeting is co-sponsored by the Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management at Texas A&M University, the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, the Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas, and the Universidad Autonoma Agraria Antonio Narro.

The registration is $50 and covers the cost of bilingual proceedings. Further information on the meeting and lodging is available from Michelle Lee, Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management, (888) 799-4442, or on the Web, http://cnrit.tamu.edu/cgrm.

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