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Demonstrations to cover fences, cattle handling, brush, carcass cutting.

Kay Ledbetter, Texas A&M Communications

July 6, 2020

3 Min Read
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Shelley E. Huguley

The annual Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course set for Aug. 3-5 will include online, live demonstrations offering ranchers who need basic beef production information an up-close look at how things are done, said Jason Cleere, conference coordinator and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist in College Station.

The event offers more than 20 sessions covering basic practices, new technologies and hot topics, along with a virtual trade show and live cattle demonstrations. A live question and answer feature is available, and each participant will receive a digital copy of the proceedings, Cleere said.

Participants can choose workshops based on their level of production experience and the needs of their ranch, Cleere said.

“The goal of the short course each year is to provide the most cutting-edge information needed by beef cattle producers, and that won’t change this year — even with the new format,” Cleere said.

The short course is the largest beef cattle educational event in the country and typically attracts more than 2,000 beef cattle producers from Texas, throughout the U.S. and abroad, Cleere said. It is hosted by AgriLife Extension and the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University.

Live demonstration schedule includes:

  • Beef Carcass Cutting Demo – Davey Griffin, AgriLife Extension meat specialist, and Dan Hale, AgriLife Extension associate director, both from College Station. This session will break a half side of beef down into the wholesale cuts to show where the cuts come from and their value.

  • Fence-Building Demonstration – Gary Craig, San Antonio Steel Company, San Antonio. This session will cover different types of fencing materials and designs. Learn how to build pipe stretch sections and string multiple types of wire during this demonstration.

  • Cattle-Handling Demonstrations – AgriLife Extension livestock specialists Bruce Carpenter, Ft. Stockton, and Ron Gill, College Station. The focus of this session will be on developing the handler’s sense about when to apply pressure and how much pressure to apply to get cattle to work smoother and with less stress. Additionally, they will tour and discuss different working pen designs.

  • Beef Cattle Chute-Side Demonstration – Castration, Implanting, Vaccination and Branding – AgriLife Extension beef specialists Jason Banta, Overton; Jason Smith, Amarillo; and Joe Paschal, Corpus Christi. The live animal demonstrations will cover basic cowherd management practices with an emphasis on proper vaccination, castration, dehorning, branding, and tagging.

  • Reproductive Technologies Demonstration – Ky Pohler, assistant professor in the department of animal science. The live virtual tour of an in vitro fertilization lab and new chute side pregnancy detection technology that will be released soon.

  • Brush Busters Demonstration, three general CEUs — Robert Lyons, AgriLife Extension range specialist in Uvalde, and Barron Rector, AgriLife Extension range specialist in the Department of Range, Wildlife and Fisheries Management. The session will focus on integrated brush control using Brush Busters protocols and equipment and cut-stump treatments. Presenters will also cover how to manage and control mesquite, tallow tree, huisache, prickly pear, Macartney rose and cedar.

Early registration has been extended to July 15. The cost before July 15, is $99, then $129 until the conference, and $149 after the conference is over. Registration is open, as well as the opportunity to join the mailing list for continual updates.

Participants can earn nine or more Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide continuing education units if they are already licensed, Cleere said. For more information, call 979-845-6931 or https://beefcattleshortcourse.com/.

Source: is AgriLife TODAY, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.

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