Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contacts: Stan Bevers, 940-552-9941, sbevers@ag.tamu.edu
Bob Levalley, 580-255-0546, bob.levalley@okstate.edu
WICHITA FALLS – Southern Oklahoma and North Texas continue in the grips of a multi-year drought and no one knows what the environmental conditions hold for the area, but agricultural producers optimistically plant crops and raise cattle, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist said.
Cattle and wheat go hand-in-hand in the Rolling Plains of Texas. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Kay Ledbetter)
Stan Bevers, an AgriLife Extension economist at Vernon, said forecasts for El Nino development offer some hope for this fall’s wheat planting conditions and the potential for fall grazing of stocker cattle.
In an effort to bring new research and technology based on these conditions to producers, the Cattle Trails Wheat and Stocker Cattle Conference will be held July 29 in Wichita Falls, jointly hosted by AgriLife Extension and the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.
Bevers said the conference offers the most up-to-date information on topics and tools that might help producers reach the conference’s slogan, “driving your cattle to profits,” although he said the last couple of years have made it tough to generate any profit.
The conference, which alternates between Texas and Oklahoma each year, will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Multi-Purpose 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 by contacting Allison Ha at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Vernon at 940-552-9941, ext. 225.
The keynote speaker for the event will be Dr. Joe Outlaw, co-director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University and AgriLife Extension economist from College Station.
Outlaw frequently interacted with members of Congress during the recent farm bill debate and during its implementation across the country, Bevers said. His discussion will focus on the farm bill, the policy center’s software decision aid, and how the new farm bill impact will influence area wheat producer’s income.
The program will also include the following speakers and topics:
– Bevers, expectations for the wheat and stocker cattle markets.
– Dr. Chris Richards, Oklahoma State University department of animal science professor in Stillwater, Oklahoma, nutrition and health of stocker cattle.
– Dr. Mark Gregory, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension agronomist from Duncan, Oklahoma, update on wheat forage and varieties.
– Dr. Tom Hairgrove, a veterinarian and AgriLife Extension animal health specialist and program coordinator in College Station, stocker cattle health management and the use of antibiotics in food animals.
Industry sponsors also will have their products on display during the event.
For more information on the event, go to http://agrisk.tamu.edu .
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