Beginning Rancher Educational Program scheduled June 9-10 at Texas A&M

Writer: Blair Fannin, 979-845-2259, b-fannin@tamu.edu

Contact: Dr. Tom Hairgrove, 979-458-3216, tbhairgrove@ag.tamu.edu

COLLEGE STATION – A Beginning Rancher Educational Program is scheduled June 9-10 at the O.D. Butler Jr. Animal Science Complex at Texas A&M University in College Station.

The free workshop is open to those who have entered the ranching business over the past 10 years, said Dr. Tom Hairgrove, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service livestock and food animal systems coordinator, College Station.

“There are a lot of individuals out there who have entered the cattle business recently or the past decade, and we want to reach out to these folks and discuss some marketing opportunities that they may not be aware of,” Hairgrove said.

The Texas Beef Council, AgriLife Extension and Prairie View Cooperative Extension are workshop sponsors.

The workshop will begin at 5 p.m. June 9 at the Butler Complex with a dinner sponsored by the Texas Beef Council.

Dr. Joe Paschal, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, Corpus Christi, and Dr. Kellye Thompson, Prairie View Cooperative Extension, will discuss the Beef Quality Assurance program and the role it plays in cattle production. Kimberly Ratcliff, president of 100 Ranchers, a non-profit organization, will also discuss the benefits of the program and its impact on her own operation.

On June 10, workshop activities begin at 8 a.m. at the G. Rollie White Visitors Center inside the Butler Complex. Marketing cattle will be the focus of the program featuring Paschal, Ratcliff, Thompson and the following speakers:

– Jesse Carver, region executive officer of the Texas Livestock Marketing Association.

– Greg Goudeau, owner of Navasota Livestock Auction.

– Dr. Virginia Fajt, clinical associate professor, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, College Station.

At noon, Dr. Elizabeth Parker, chief veterinarian for the Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases at Texas A&M, will be the keynote speaker. Paschal will lead the final program session at 12:30 p.m. discussing how to become a successful grass farmer and efficiently feed cows. The workshop will conclude with wrap-up questions and a survey for future programming, Hairgrove said.

To register for the program, contact AgriLife Extension animal science at 979-845 6931 or EXTANSC@ag.tamu.edu or email Hairgrove for more information at tbhairgrove@ag.tamu.edu.

-30-