SAN ANTONIO Texas A&M University faculty will be part of the nearly 500 livestock researchers, professionals, and producers from Texas, Mexico and Latin America who will converge on Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, for the 36th Annual National Livestock Research meeting Nov. 7-10.
Sponsoring the event are INIFAP, Mexico’s national agricultural research agency, and the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Chapingo and Universidad de Sonora.
“INIFAP requested Texas A&M’s participation in the event,” said Tony Hinojosa, international agricultural specialist from Texas A&M.
“The event is important to the U.S. because of the commercial interaction in livestock between Texas and Mexico. The conference will address numerous bi-national concerns important to U.S. producers, such as animal health status. Also INIFAP is conducting a number of research projects jointly with Texas A&M, and many of our faculty will make presentations at the event.”
According to Dr. Martha Martin, a range management researcher with INIFAP and a coordinator of the event, “The meeting is important both to researchers and producers. Producers from various regions can learn how technology and research is applied in other areas of the country. For example, producers from the fertile and moist southern part of Mexico can learn how northern producers cope with arid lands and low rainfall.”
“There is also a major exchange of ideas between the researchers and the producers,” Martin said. “Many of the Mexican researchers have A&M counterparts, and the producers are very receptive to new ideas and technologies.”
Eight A&M faculty will make presentations on joint A&M/INIFAP projects. Among those are Dr. Ed Price, director of international agriculture programs; Dr. Tony Hinojosa, international agricultural specialist; and Dr. Ronald Randel, professor of physiology of reproduction.
Price and Hinojosa will speak on global livestock trends and global livestock research trends. Randel will speak on advances in reproduction and animal genetics.
An animal health symposium will explore topics such as tuberculosis and brucellosis, systems for epidemiological vigilance, and hoof and mouth disease. At a symposium on production diversification, A&M faculty will speak on range lands management, sheep production, livestock production and use of brush.
A third symposium on soil and water conservation in arid lands will address water issues common to Mexico and Texas.
-30-
