Farm & Ranch
Grass-fed beef conference scheduled May 28-29 in College Station
By: Blair Fannin
Writer: Blair Fannin, 979-845-2259, [email protected]
Contact: Dr. Rick Machen, 830-278-9151, [email protected]
COLLEGE STATION – With consumer interest heightening about where food comes from, grass-fed beef producers will have the opportunity to learn more about marketing opportunities and production trends during a May 28-29 conference in College Station.
Dr. Rick Machen, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist in Uvalde, said producers can learn about all aspects of grass-fed beef production techniques at the conference, which will be held at the Rosenthal Meat Science Building on the Texas A&M University campus.
“One of the highlights will be Dr. Monte Rouquette, Texas A&M AgriLife Research forage agronomist from Overton,” Machen said. “Monte has clearly demonstrated how to produce forage-finished beef in East Texas. He’s among the best forage agronomists in the southern U.S. and has years of experience.”
Given the ongoing drought across much of the South Central U.S., sustainable forage production is atop everyone’s items of interest list, Machen said.
“As always, a significant emphasis in this year’s conference will be the importance of a sustainable forage supply in both quantity and quality, perhaps the most difficult part of a grass-fed beef production system.”
The conference will cover a broad range of important topics pertaining to grass-fed beef production and is open to both beef producers and consumers.
The following topics will be discussed: overview of the beef industry; defining natural, grass-fed and organic beef; forage-growing fundamentals; cattle types suited for grass-fed beef; forage-based nutrition for cattle; preventive herd health; handling cattle for wholesome beef; carcass fabrication; consumers and their expectations; marketing a unique product; and economics and sustainability.
A live carcass fabrication demonstration will be a second day highlight.
The cost is $250 through May 15 and $300 after.
To register online, visit https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/ and enter keyword “grassfed” or call 979-845-2604. The conference is sponsored by AgriLife Extension with funding from Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, which provides grants and education programs to advance agricultural innovation (http://www.sare.org/) .
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By Tressa Lawrence
Babies are tucked away in every nook and cranny. Many ranchers across Wyoming have baby animals popping up all over this time of year.
By Lindsey Monk
Another load of grain in to keep feeding the calves until the green grass can really start popping.
By Rayford Pullen | [email protected]
Spring has sprung and hopefully the rains will continue where our country will heal from the previous droughts and our grasses will thrive. We are especially hopeful for the Panhandle of Texas where our neighbors and friends have been dealt a deadly blow to homes, ranges, livestock, and people. Keep them in your prayers as they will not be able to return to normal for many years if at all. Having lost their ability to benefit from this great cattle market is a double whammy for all of them.
Now is the time of year when we need to take care of business as it relates to our new calves that have been hitting the ground this spring. First and foremost is vaccinating for Blackleg followed by deworming with a white wormer and the IBR complex. Blackleg is a soil-born disease and with pastures extremely short this spring our calves have been grazing the green grass as soon as it shows itself, making them even more vulnerable to picking contaminates from the soil.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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