The Big Bend Beef 706 three-part beef cattle series program will begin Jan. 7 in Alpine. The event is hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Sul Ross State University and the Texas Beef Council.
The collaborative program will take place over five months. The Big Bend Beef 706 program will follow four locally sourced steers throughout the feeding and finishing process, harvesting, carcass breakdown and evaluation of carcass quality and profitability.
The first session is free and will take place at Sul Ross State University at the Everett E. Turner Range Animal Science Center, U.S. Highway 90. Participant check-in and breakfast will begin at 8:30 a.m., and the program will conclude at noon.
The event is open to the public, but participants should preregister with the AgriLife Extension office for Brewster and Jeff Davis counties at 432-837-6207. Participants may then register for the limited spots at the following sessions at the first event, including carcass composition.
“This type of large-scale program is very difficult to put together, as there are a lot of moving parts working simultaneously to accomplish our goal of providing high-quality information to beef cattle producers and consumers in Far West Texas,” said Luke Hendryx, AgriLife Extension agent for Brewster and Jeff Davis counties. “Our team has worked hard to ensure that all aspects of the program are locally sourced in order to provide participants with information and results that are truly applicable to our area producers.”
For additional information or to register by email, contact AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agents Hendryx, luke.hendryx@ag.tamu.edu; Micki Harris, micki.harris@ag.tamu.edu, Presidio County; or Zach Schaefer, zach.schaefer@ag.tamu.edu, Culberson County. More information may also be found on the Big Bend 706 Facebook page.
Unlike past Big Bend Beef 706 events, the 2023 program will feature three live sessions, along with virtual updates throughout the entirety of the program, Hendryx said.
Session one topics and speakers
Session one will begin with Jason Bagley, Ph.D., Texas Beef Council vice president of beef resources, Austin, and Hendryx welcoming and addressing attendees. The featured topics and speakers are as follows:
- Overview of the Beef 706 Program – Dan Hale, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension associate director for agriculture and natural resources, Bryan-College Station.
- Factors that Impact the Quality and Value of a Feeder Calf – Ron Gill, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, Bryan-College Station; Bruce Carpenter, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, Fort Stockton; and Jamie Boyd, Ph.D., Sul Ross State University Animal Science Department chair and professor, Alpine.
- Knowing What You’re Looking For – Evaluation of Feeder Calves – Local buyer panel and Gill.
Beef cattle start to finish
The overall goal of the program focuses on providing producers with valuable insight and information into the beef industry that will assist in the production of consistent, high-quality beef products and increase producer profitability along with consumer satisfaction.
The second session of the program will take place in late March. Tiffany Lashmet, J.D., AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist, Amarillo, will focus on and address the legal and economic factors associated with producers selling beef directly to consumers, which is an increasingly popular business model.
The third and final session of the program will be a two-day session in May that will provide participants with hands-on lessons in carcass composition as well as the analysis and ranking of the four steers in terms of quality and profitability.
-30-
