The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program and the Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program are excited to announce the third annual Herd That! Conference on Sept. 19-20 in Broken Bow, Neb. 

The two-day conference will bring a variety of speakers and topics for attendees to learn from. During the morning sessions at the One Box Convention Center in Broken Bow, participants will learn from industry experts, as well as University of Nebraska Extension professionals. 

Calli Thorne, a global leadership trainer, mindset coach and multi-business entrepreneur, will be speaking. She grew up on her family’s ranch in North Dakota. Today, she and her husband, CJ, and their three young children operate multiple enterprises, including a backgrounding feedlot and a cow-calf operation, along with running yearlings and marketing beef directly to consumers.

Curt Pate is also on the agenda for the conference. He has conducted demonstrations and clinics on stockmanship, colt starting and ranch horsemanship all over North America and Europe. Pate teaches techniques on how to put the proper pressure on cattle at a different angle and at varying amounts to help move them comfortably and without a negative experience.

Registration for the event at wia.unl.edu.

Labor workshop

One of the most pressing issues facing agriculture producers is labor — specifically how to secure reliable employees to fill seasonal and permanent needs.

A UNL Center for Ag Profitability seasonal labor and immigration webinar, set for noon to 1 p.m. Aug. 31, is aimed at helping producers and ag industry professionals understand available options that can be used and how to navigate the complex maze of different agricultural visa programs.

It will include the state of ag labor and historical use, an overview of visa requirements, procedures, compliance and employer obligations.

Speakers include Marcelo Castillo, research economist, USDA Economic Research Service in the Resource and Rural Economics Division; Brian Lisonbee, attorney and owner of Lisonbee Immigration Law in Lincoln; and Elliott Dennis, assistant professor and livestock economist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

To register, visit go.unl.edu.