ROSWELL, N.M. – Texas and New Mexico Extension agencies will conduct their annual Southwest Beef Symposium on Jan. 17-18 in the Roswell Convention Center in Roswell, N.M.
This is the seventh year the two agencies have collaborated on the annual event, which alternates yearly between locations in West Texas and eastern New Mexico, said Dr. Manny Encinias, New Mexico State University Extension livestock specialist at Clayton. He said the symposium will center around three educational sessions and a trade show.
Dr. Bruce Carpenter, Texas AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist at Fort Stockton, said those in the beef industry must be proactive in telling their story.
“The U.S. beef industry is a key player in feeding the world,” he said. “We also strive to ensure and protect global food security. In doing so, we face some huge challenges, but we are up to that challenge. Our first symposium session, the current issues session, will address some of the major issues we now face.”
Carpenter said the session will feature talks on beef-related global demographics, resources and technology by Dr. Douglas Southgate of The Ohio State University and a discussion by Paul Coleman, CEO for Frontera Cattle Company, on beef-cattle marketing. Speakers from both state agencies will complete the session with a market and industry outlook. An open discussion anchored by a rancher panel will complete the day’s activities prior to the evening steak dinner.
Carpenter said topics on Jan. 18 will include a disaster recovery session with ranchers and agency personnel with firsthand experience providing tips on how and who to work with in times of widespread drought and wildfire, as was experienced this summer.
The symposium is set to conclude with an afternoon range nutrition session by Kent Mills with Hi-Pro Feeds. Mills will share his observations on data he’s collected in more than 20 years of rangeland forage sampling across West Texas and New Mexico. Other speakers will deal with specifics on beef nutrition, drought and grazing behavior of cattle and elk during and following a drought.
For planning purposes, organizers said preregistration by Jan. 5 would be appreciated. Individual preregistration is $50. The fee includes a steak dinner, lunch, refreshments and a printed proceedings.
For more information and to preregister, call Carpenter at 432-336-8585 or Encinias at 575-374-2566.
A schedule of events, speaker information, registration materials and lodging information is available at http://swbs.nmsu.edu .
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