The Texas AgriLife Extension Service will conduct two regional Texas Beef Quality Producer programs in Abilene and Amarillo on Aug. 15 and Aug. 25, respectively.

Both programs start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 2 p.m., following a catered lunch provided by the Texas Beef Council.

Program sponsors along with AgriLife Extension are the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and Texas Beef Council. Four beef quality credits will be available at both programs.

The site for the Abilene meeting will be the Taylor County Fair and Expo Center at 1982 Lytle Way.

The Amarillo meeting is slated for the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at 6500 W. Amarillo Blvd.

“The Texas Beef Quality Producer Program offers a standardized way for beef producers to document and be recognized for the quality and management they’ve put into their cattle,” said Dr. Bruce Carpenter, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist at Fort Stockton.

“As the industry continues to head toward value-based marketing and mandatory country of origin (COOL) labeling, part of the value of beef will no doubt be linked to good, reliable records starting at time of breeding through the final processing of the animal,” Carpenter said.

“Beef enjoys a well-deserved reputation as a tasty and wholesome product. Nonetheless, quality and food safety remain big issues with consumers, and are driving forces in the industry here and abroad,” he said.

“By becoming a certified Beef Quality Assurance producer, growers not only help keep consumer confidence strong, but also position themselves to capture some of the premium dollars which the program will undoubtedly generate along the way.”

The program is free, but pre-registration two days prior to each program is requested for an accurate meal count.

For more information and to pre-register, contact Stacy Fox at the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association at 817-332-7155 or [email protected].

Also, information can be found by contacting the AgriLife Extension offices in Taylor County at 325-672-9148 or the Amarillo center at 806-677-5600 or by going to www.texasbeefquality.com.