The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service announced the 2020 Texas Sheep and Goat Expo will be presented in an all-virtual format. The state’s largest sheep and goat event will be presented free to all participants this year.

“With everything going on with COVID-19 and rules and associated recommendations for gatherings continuously changing, the planning committee wanted to ensure the safety of all of our participants, exhibitors and speakers while still being able to provide the same great information to those in the sheep and goat industry,” said Robert Pritz, AgriLife Extension regional program leader, San Angelo.

“We’d already planned for a partially virtual event, and recent decisions have us now transitioning to an all-webinar format.”

The expo format will consist of presentations via Zoom Aug. 14-15. There is no cost to participants, but registration for the sessions is required.

A woman filming another woman doing a presentation with sheep wool
AgriLife Extension prepares for the virtual 2020 Texas Sheep and Goat Expo. (AgriLife Extension photo by Tom Guthrie).

Pritz said the online format will allow producers from around the state, nation and globe to participate.

“The recent success of the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course’s virtual format is a great indicator that the demand for this type of program is strong across the state,” he said. “We’ve taken challenging circumstances and used them to create an online program that will reach more folks than an in-person event could.”

Pritz said while he knows attendees will miss the in-person fellowship of past years, he is excited to be able to still hold the event and is grateful for the support of event sponsors.

“Business and Technology” is the theme of this year’s event and experts will cover many different segments of the industry and address the concerns and challenges facing producers today.

The expo is the largest event of its type in Texas and one of the largest sheep and goat industry educational programs in the world.

Check the Texas Sheep and Goat Expo website or the Texas Sheep and Goat Expo Facebook page for additional updates.