NMSU, Texas A&M to host Southwest Beef Symposium in Clayton November 22, 2013 CLAYTON, N.M. - While rangeland conditions improved in the latter part of the growing season, southern plains cattle producers still have a lot to evaluate as thoughts of rebuilding herd inventories continue. Cattle industry experts will address global industry issues, timely nutrition and health management strategies, and the economics and risk associated with restocking ranches during the Southwest Beef Symposium. The annual symposium and tradeshow will be Thursday and Friday, Jan. 9-10, at the Clayton Civic Center, 124 North Front St., Clayton, N.M. As is customary with the symposium format, the opening afternoon session will address big-picture emerging issues in the global beef industry. Leann Saunders, co-founder and president of Where Food Comes From, Inc. and chair-elect of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, will open the symposium at 1 p.m. Thursday with a discussion on the Effects of Global Meat Exports on U.S. Beef Producers. Additional afternoon outlook sessions will address the changes in agriculture lending policies, emerging beef sustainability issues by major beef purveyors and a short and long-term weather outlook. On Friday, Cooperative Extension Service specialists and university faculty from Texas A&M AgriLife, Kansas State University and New Mexico State University will provide strategies and considerations on rebuilding regional beef herds specifically focused on the economics of re-stocking, defining current pasture lease rates and effectively selecting and managing the nutrition and health programs for stocker calves and cows. The symposium will wrap up with a panel discussion by regional ranch managers on their individual perspectives of rebuilding regional cattle inventories. Individual registration is $70, which includes a steak dinner on Thursday, lunch on Friday, refreshments and symposium proceedings. Online registration and payment will be available Dec. 2. Registration deadline is Jan. 3. The schedule of events, lodging information and presenter information is available at swbs.nmsu.edu For more information contact Manny Encinias at 505-927-7935 or Bruce Carpenter at 432-336-9632.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 21:49:31 +0000