Cattlemen and women need to register soon to attend the 2012 Michigan Cattlemen's Association Summer Round-Up Conference to secure a spot at the conference.

The conference, June 22-23, in Sault Ste. Marie, will give cattle raisers an opportunity to attend an education forum and agriculture tour while also networking with and learning from other cattlemen and women from across the state on a Soo Locks dinner cruise.

MI Cattlemen's Summer Round-Up Conference Registration Opens

The "Power of Partnerships" is the theme of this year's conference. The keynote speaker is Carrie Thomas from Merck Animal Health. Her "Just Ask a Woman" presentation takes a closer look at the beef consumer. Merck has combined the qualitative market research of Just Ask a Woman along with the quantitative market research of The Hartman Group to give cattle producers an inside look at how women feel about beef. A snapshot of how consumers feel about various terms, production practices, tools and technologies and sources of information about the beef industry will also be provided. Details about  consumer messaging needs, challenges and opportunities will show ways that the beef industry can help consumers – both men and women – be more comfortable and confident about their beef shopping choices.

Other guest speakers featured during the education forum include: Joe Kelpinski, MI Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Field Verifier, who will discuss the options for participating in the Livestock*A*Syst program and Ben Bartlett, DVM, will share some interesting findings as a result of the "MSU Upper Peninsula BVDV Eradication Project."

Registration is available online at www.micattlemen.org. The headquarters hotel is the Kewadin Casino, Hotel and Convention Center at 2186 Shunk Road (800) 539-2346. For more information, call the MCA office at (517) 347-8117 or e-mail the staff at [email protected].