Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contacts: Dr. Emi Kimura, 940-552-9941 ext. 233, emi.kimura@ag.tamu.edu
Marty New, 580-255-0546, marty.new@okstate.edu
LAWTON, OKLAHOMA – For ranchers in Texas and Oklahoma, tough marketing times with low cattle prices make it more critical than ever for their operations to become more efficient productively and financially, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist said.
Experts and the latest information can be found at the annual Cattle Trails Cow-Calf Conference – Driving Your Cattle to Profit, to be held Dec. 1 at the Comanche County Fairgrounds Annex Building, 920 S.W. Sheridan Road, Lawton, Oklahoma.
The conference is a joint effort between the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.
This annual conference provides up-to-date information on topics that will influence cattle profits, said Dr. Emi Kimura, AgriLife Extension agronomist in Vernon.
Registration is $25 and includes educational materials, a noon meal and refreshments. For purposes of meal planning, preregistration is encouraged. To preregister, contact your local county Extension office in Texas or Oklahoma, or contact Marty New at 580-255-0546 or marty.new@okstate.edu. A registration form can be found at http://bit.ly/2eWLswZ.
Kimura said the expected audience is cattle operators from the Texas Rolling Plains, North Texas and southern Oklahoma. The conference alternates between Texas and Oklahoma, where two of the more famous cattle trails – Chisholm and Great Western – crossed.
“We have discussed the Veterinary Feed Directive in the past conferences,” she said. “We will once again provide a last-minute opportunity to ask questions, learn and prepare for this important topic in the upcoming conference. Each of these speakers is known on the local, state and national scale.”
The program will include the following topics and speakers:
– Beef Cattle Market Outlook and Update, Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Extension livestock economist, Stillwater, Oklahoma.
– Beef Cow and Resource Utilization, Dr. Ted McCollum, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist, Amarillo, Texas.
– Maximizing Forage Resources and Cow-calf Operations, Dr. Ryan Reuter, Oklahoma State University associate professor in the department of animal science, Stillwater, Oklahoma.
– Weather Outlook, Gary McManus, Oklahoma State University state climatologist, Stillwater, Oklahoma.
– Evaluating Cover Crops for Forage Production, Dr. Jason Warren, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service soil and water conservation/management specialist, Stillwater, Oklahoma.
– Last Minute Preparations for the Veterinary Feed Directive, Dr. Barry Whitworth, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service food/animal quality and health – Southeast area veterinarian, Ada, Oklahoma.
Industry sponsors also will have their products on display during the event.
-30-
