Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, [email protected]
Contacts: Stan Bevers, 940-552-9941, [email protected]
Marty New, 580-255-0546, [email protected]

WICHITA FALLS – Pricing wheat and cattle at profitable levels has been challenging during 2016, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agricultural economist.

The Cattle Trails Wheat and Stocker Cattle Conference on July 26 will cover how producers in the North and Rolling Plains regions of Texas and Southwestern Oklahoma can meet these challenges and prepare for 2017, said Stan Bevers, AgriLife Extension economist at Vernon.

While it appears the weather has returned to normal and agricultural production has reached more favorable levels, greater production has led to commodity prices below cost of production, Bevers said.

Add to this environment more government directives regarding production, and a producer’s stress level rises, he said. One regulation cattle producers will face in 2017 is the implementation of the Veterinary Feed Directive.

In this year’s conference, AgriLife Extension and Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service experts will cover how producers can continue to remain profitable under these prices and the new regulations, Bevers said.

The conference, which alternates between Texas and Oklahoma each year, will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the MPEC Event Center, 1000 5th St., Wichita Falls. Registration is $25 per person and includes educational materials, a noon meal and refreshments.

Producers are encouraged to preregister by contacting their local AgriLife Extension county agent, their Oklahoma Cooperative Extension county educator or Allison Ha at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center near Vernon at 940-552-9941, ext. 225 or [email protected].

The slogan of the conference is “Driving your cattle to profits,” although Bevers said the last couple of years have made it tough to generate a consistent profit.

“We know agricultural producers are continuing to plant crops and grow cattle,” he said. “They must also be aware of new directives on how animal drugs can be utilized. The Veterinary Feed Directive is a federal regulation from the Food and Drug Administration that controls the use of animal drugs.”

Speakers will be from both Texas and Oklahoma. Dr. Emi Kimura, AgriLife Extension agronomist at Vernon, will provide a wheat variety update, while Bevers will provide a wheat and cattle market update.

Dr. Chris Richards, Oklahoma State Extension and research beef cattle nutrition specialist in Stillwater, Oklahoma, will discuss balancing the scales in cattle production between efficiency, profitability, consumerism and the environment.

After lunch, Dr. Tom Hairgrove, AgriLife Extension program coordinator for livestock and food animal systems, College Station, will provide an overview of the Veterinary Feed Directive. Dr. Ron Gill, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist in College Station, will cover how a cattle producer should go about implementing the directive on their operation.

Industry sponsors will have their products on display during the event.

For more information, go to http://agrisk.tamu.edu.

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