AgriLife Extension provides education at Amarillo Farm and Ranch Show
Continuing education units, market outlooks and beef cattle management on the agenda
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will host multiple events during the 40th annual Amarillo Farm and Ranch Show, set for Dec. 2-4 at the Amarillo Civic Center, 401 S. Buchanan, Amarillo.
This year, in addition to the traditional continuing education unit program and cooking demonstrations, AgriLife Extension will host a new event, Beef Cattle Presentation and Roundtable Discussions.
For more information about any AgriLife Extension-hosted event, contact Megan Eikner, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Potter County, at [email protected].
Beef Cattle Presentation and Roundtable Discussions on Dec. 3
A new Beef Cattle Presentation and Roundtable Discussions event will begin at 3 p.m. Dec. 3 in the Grand Plaza. This new program will provide insight, inspiration and industry perspective for beef producers.
Ticket purchase information
Registration is required for the Beef Cattle Presentation and Roundtable Discussions event. The cost is $100 per seat, $1,000 to reserve a full table of eight seats, and $2,500 for an event sponsorship. The sponsorship includes a table for eight at dinner and recognition in the event program and educational materials.
The evening will conclude with dinner and a message, “The Change of Beef Cattle Over the Last 30 and How Will Cattle Change in the Future,” from keynote speaker Temple Grandin, Ph.D., professor of animal science at Colorado State University.
It will be followed by a ribeye steak dinner to benefit the District 1 Texas Panhandle 4-H Friends and Alumni Association.
The program, moderated by Kevin Pond, Ph.D., dean, Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, West Texas A&M University, will include the following topics and speakers:
- Beef Cattle Markets – Have We Seen The Top? – Kirk Donsbach, risk management consultant, Stone X, Roy, Montana; Kimberly Ratcliff, acting manager of Caney Creek Ranch and owner of Ratcliff Premium Meats, Oakwood; and Corbitt Wall, commercial cattle manager/livestock market analyst, DV Auction, Amarillo.
- Cattle Genetics – How Genetics Can Change Everything – Leoma Donsbach, cattle data and management consultant, Roy, Montana, and Ian Wheal, founder and CEO at Breedr, a precision livestock platform, Austin.
- New World Screwworm and Beef Cattle Updates – Ben Weinheimer, Texas Cattle Feeders Association president and CEO, Amarillo; Sidney Abbott, director of research, OT Feedyard and Research Center, Amarillo; Jason Smith, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist and assistant professor, Department of Animal Science, Amarillo.
AgriLife Extension Pesticide Applicator CEU Workshop
There are new topics to cover at the returning AgriLife Extension Pesticide Applicator CEU Workshop from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 2 in the Grand Plaza. Registration is $40, payable at the door. Make checks payable to Potter Ag Committee.
This session will earn attendees five Texas Department of Agriculture, TDA, continuing education credits – one in laws and regulations, two integrated pest management and two general.
Speakers and topics will be:
- TDA Laws and Regulations, Cheryl Goswick, assistant regional director-pesticides, Texas Department of Agriculture.
- Management of Field Crop Disease, Nolan Anderson, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension plant pathologist and assistant professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Amarillo.
- On the Move: Tracking the Spread of Corn Leafhopper and Cotton Jassid, Tyler Gilreath, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension entomologist and assistant professor, Department of Entomology, Amarillo.
- Pest /Disease Management – Prussic Acid-Free Sorghum/Sudan Update, Calvin Throstle, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist and professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Lubbock.
- New World Screwworm Update, Karl Harborth, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension livestock specialist and assistant professor, Department of Animal Science, Corpus Christi.
AgriLife Extension cooking demonstrations
AgriLife Extension’s North Region family and community health agents will provide a variety of health-related information at their booth outside of the Grand Plaza in the north foyer each day at 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
They will provide different healthy food samples and recipes. They will also share information on how to help farmers, ranchers and their families manage stress and maintain a balanced lifestyle. Visitors can learn about the recipes: White Chicken Chili Corn Dip appetizer; Garlic Steak and Broccoli Skillet main dish, and Blackberry Pretzel Pie dessert.
“Our goal is to showcase dishes that highlight commodities produced by local farmers and ranchers, celebrating the hard work they do to provide quality food for our community,” said Molly Forman, AgriLife Extension North Region family and community health.
Beef Quality Assurance Program
A Texas Beef Quality Assurance program will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 in the Hospitality Room of the Civic Center.
Texas Beef Quality Assurance Training promotes modern best management practices that have been proven to help strengthen consumer confidence in beef as a wholesome food product.
Those planning to attend should RSVP to [email protected] or call 800-242-7820. The program is supported by AgriLife Extension, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and the Texas Beef Council.
Texas Wheat Symposium and Ag Appreciation Luncheon
The annual Texas Wheat Symposium, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 3, will open with a market outlook by Merri Beth Day, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist and assistant professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Amarillo.
Welch will be followed by a farm policy outlook from Joe Outlaw, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist and co-director of The Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Bryan-College Station.
The annual Ag Appreciation Luncheon, hosted jointly with the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce Ag Council, will follow at 11:45 a.m. with a panel discussion: Managing Agricultural Risk in an Era of Uncertainty with AgriLife Extension’s Day and Outlaw and James Bigouette, Greytek cybersecurity lead, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Moderating the panel will be Josh Winegarner, Texas Cattle Feeders Association director of government relations, Amarillo.
