The Southwest Beef Symposium, jointly hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service, is set for Feb. 8-9 at the Overton Hotel in Lubbock.
The program begins at 1 p.m. on Feb. 8 and wraps up after lunch on Feb. 9.
“Building Back – If and When” will be discussed during the first day’s topics, said Bruce Carpenter, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension livestock specialist and professor in the Department of Animal Science, Ft. Stockton.
The symposium will address drought outlook, input costs, cattle market outlook and private property issues. Day 2 will be devoted to current feed costs and related marketing, and to discussions about management and new developments in animal health.
Individual early registration is $75, which includes a steak dinner on Feb. 8, lunch on Feb. 9, refreshments and symposium proceedings. For early registration, which ends by Feb. 3, go to https://tx.ag/SouthwestBeefSymp2023. Registration at the door is $95.
On the agenda
The opening session will address big-picture emerging issues in the global beef industry, Carpenter said.
Issues and speakers on Feb. 8 will be:
— Is the Drought “Over” in New Mexico and Texas? Brian Bledsoe, climatologist, meteorologist and rancher, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
— Lessons Learned 2015 vs. 2023 Market and Business Outlook, Derrell Peel, Ph.D., Extension specialist for livestock marketing and professor of agricultural economics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma.
— Managing Input Costs, Wesley Welch, Spade Ranches president and CEO, Lubbock.
— Beef on Dairy Genetics in the Beef Industry, Jason Smith, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist and assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science, Amarillo.
— The 30 x 30 Plan, Private Lands and You, Margaret Byfield, executive director, American Stewards of Liberty.
Feb. 9 will focus on production and management for cow-calf, stocker and feeder operations. Topics and speakers will be:
— Replacement Heifer Management for Rebuilding, Carpenter.
— Retained Ownership and Feed Costs, Justin Benavidez, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist and assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Amarillo.
— What We’ve Learned About IBR, George Perry, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research cattle reproductive physiologist and associate professor in the Department of Animal Science, Overton.
– New BVD / IBR Research Findings from New Mexico State University, John Wenzel, DVM, New Mexico State University Extension veterinarian, Las Cruces, New Mexico.
For more information, contact Carpenter at 432-336-8585.
-30-
