The Santa Gertrudis Breeders International will be sponsoring the Sunbelt Ag Expo beef presentations in 2013 for the second year in a row.

The beef presentations will take place in the Bill Patten Livestock Pavilion, located at block E-8 of the exhibit grounds. Patten was a longtime Expo exhibitor and president of Expo’s Executive Board.

The beef cattle management and herd health presentations are a long-time tradition at the Sunbelt Expo, dating back to the second Expo held in 1979.

Beef production continues to be an integral part of Southern ag’s diversified landscape, where producers are able to take advantage of the region’s climate and marketing opportunities and make Southern beef production a vital part of the country’s beef supply annually. But beef production in the South brings its own challenges.

Beef producers and those looking to learn more about the industry should attend the educational seminars scheduled for the Bill Patten Livestock Pavilion throughout the three-day Expo.

At 9:30 a.m. each day, University of Georgia Extension Livestock Economist Curt Lacy will cover the topic of market outlook, recapping the marketing year to date and sharing his expertise on what beef cattle producers can expect on the supply-and-demand front and prices in the coming months.

This will be followed at 10 a.m. each day by a forage presentation “Pesky Pasture Problems: Identifying pasture problems and their sources! (Weeds, Disease, Fertility and Insects).” These presentations will be given by Doug Mayo, University of Florida Extension director in Jackson County, Fla., Ann Blount, UF Extension specialist, forage breeding and management, Cheryl Mackowiak, UF associate professor of nutrient management and water quality, Dennis Hancock, University of Georgia Extension forage specialist, and Jennifer Johnson, Alabama Cooperative Extension System agronomist.

Then, at 11 a.m. each day, you can hear experts address the topic of beef cattle care and well-being. UGA veterinarian Lee Jones and Frank Owsley, Alabama Extension animal scientist, will be making these presentations.

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Insight from producers

At 12:30 p.m. each day, disease traceability and antibiotic regulations will be the topic.

At 1:30 p.m., you can learn where the industry is going and what producers can expect in the future, and learn it straight from the “horses’ mouth” so to speak as an expert panel of beef producers will come together and give its view on the state of the industry.

At 2:30 Tuesday each day, forages will be featured in the presentations, with vital information on stand losses, grazing and baling management. These forage presentations will be given by UF Weed Specialist Jay Ferrell on Tuesday, Johnson on Wednesday and Blount on Thursday.

In previous years, the Expo beef presentations have introduced cattle producers to important management concepts such as Beef Quality Assurance, country-of-origin labeling along with weaning and health management practices.

For the second straight year, Santa Gertrudis Breeders International Association, based in Kingsville, Texas, will be the primary sponsor of the beef exhibit.

The board members will staff the Santa Gertrudis Breeders International exhibit at the farm show. They’ll be telling visitors how Santa Gertrudis cattle can adapt and perform in a wide range of environments.

The organization is also targeting beef farms in the Southeast with a promotional campaign “Rebuild with Reds” aimed at expanding the breed’s footprint in warm humid areas such as the Southeast.

The Santa Gertrudis breed was developed starting in 1910 at the King Ranch in south Texas. The breed was developed by crossing Brahman and Shorthorn cattle.

Santa Gertrudis cattle today consist of 3/8^th Brahman blood and 5/8^th Shorthorn. The breed’s foundation sire was red in color and named Monkey. In 1940, the Santa Gertrudis received official recognition from the USDA as a separate breed, the first beef breed developed in the U.S.

Companies and organizations planning to exhibit in the Bill Patten Pavilion include the following: Accelerated Genetics, Agri-Pro Enterprises, Allflex USA, Inc., American Angus Association, American Belgian Blue Breeders Inc., Animal Health International, Inc., Bayer Animal Health, Biozyme, Inc., Blackwater Cattle Company, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., Callicrate Banders/No Bull Enterprises, Cattle Guard Forms, Cattle South, F-R-M Feeds/Flint River Mills Inc., Genex Cooperative, Georgia Cattlemen’s Association/Georgia Beef Board, Georgia Hereford Association, Georgia Simmental-Simbrah Association, Gibbs Farms, Merck Animal Health, Mid-America Feed Yard, Mix 30 by Agridyne, LLC, Pennington Seed, Inc., Ragan and Massey, Ritchey Livestock ID, Ridley Block Operations, Romagnola & Romangus Cattle Association, Southeast Brangus Breeders Association, The Oaks Farms, USDA-APHIS-Veterinary Services/Georgia Department of Agriculture, United Braford Breeders, Van Beek Natural Science, Westway Feed Products, Central Life Sciences, and Animal Health International, Inc.