48th annual South Central Texas Cow-Calf Clinic to be held Oct. 25

The 48th annual South Central Texas Cow-Calf Clinic and Trade Show will be held Oct. 25 at the Washington County Fairgrounds Sales Facility, 1305 E. Blue Bell Road #110 in Brenham. The program is hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Washington County. 

Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. with the program beginning at 8 a.m. Registration fee is $20 per person and will provide admission to the clinic. It will be an opportunity to visit with trade show vendors, have refreshments and a catered barbecue lunch, and participate in an afternoon social with a chance for the grand door prize, a heifer, drawn at the conclusion.  

This year’s clinic will focus on emerging issues for cattle producers ranging from landowner liability and changes in animal identification requirements to heifer development and grazing management, said Kara Matheney, AgriLife Extension agent for Washington County. 

Presentations will include live cattle demonstrations and a number of contests for participants to test their knowledge and skills, with awards sponsored by Capital Farm Credit. Throughout the day there will be time to visit with vendors, view cattle and network with producers, speakers and others.  

Sessions include: 

• Update on Animal Health Identification Requirements, Texas Animal Health Commission.
• Eminent Domain and Pipeline Easement Negotiations, Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, AgriLife Extension specialist – agricultural law, Amarillo. 
• Evaluating Heifers and Establishing Breeding Programs, Joe Paschal, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, Corpus Christi.
• Private Pesticide Applicator Laws and Regulations Update, Don Renchie, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension program leader and Pesticide Safety Education program coordinator, College Station. 
• Managing Your Grazing Calendar – Southern Pastures, Monte Rouquette, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension forage specialist, Overton. 

For the second year, the South Central Texas Cow-Calf Clinic Planning Committee will offer a Youth Track. This new adventure will be a learning opportunity for senior-age 4-H and FFA members who have an interest in animal science with a focus on beef cattle production.  Topics for the youth track include hands-on activities focusing on anatomy and physiology, meats, beef cattle reproduction, AgriLife Extension’s Path to the Plate initiative and a Grilling 101 workshop.

Registration will be limited to the first 100 students and is open to youth in the multi-county area.  

For the sixth year in a row, the Washington County Beef and Forage Committee have partnered with Texas Farm Credit to purchase a commercial heifer at the Washington County Fair as the grand door prize at the end of the day. Participants must be registered for the entire day and must be present during the drawing to win. 

After the meeting is adjourned, trade show vendors, participants and speakers are invited to  stay for the social hour sponsored by Mike Hopkins Distributing and enjoy some beer-battered beef tips.  

New for 2019, the South Central Texas Cow-Calf Clinic Planning Committee will be selling tickets for five prizes to support the scholarship and youth program. The prizes will include

1. A pen of five E6 Beefmaster heifers. 
2. A pen of five F1 tiger stripe heifers. 
3. A side of custom processed beef. 
4. A side of custom processed beef. 
5. A ton of cattle feed.  

Tickets are $100 each and will be on sale through the day of the clinic or until they are all sold. The drawing will be held live during the social following the cow-calf clinic.      

Cow-calf clinic participants who hold a private, commercial, or non-commercial pesticide applicators license will receive two hours of continuing education units, one laws and regulations and one general category. 

For additional information, contact the AgriLife Extension office in Washington County at 979-277-6212. 

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