Agrilife Extension to Host Beef Cattle Short Course on Jan. 9 in San Antonio

Dec 22, 2023

By Rob Williams

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Bexar Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee will host the 2024 Beef Cattle Short Course in San Antonio on Jan. 9.

The event will be from 5-8 p.m. in the Ozuna Library at Palo Alto College, 1400 Villaret Blvd. Registration is $20 and can be paid by cash, card or check. Card payments will have a small fee attached. Checks should be payable to Bexar Ag and NR Committee.

The deadline to RSVP is Jan. 2. RSVP by contacting Kennedy Green at 210-631-0400 or by email at kennedy.green@ag.tamu.edu.

Registration will begin at 5 p.m. with the dinner and main program starting at 5:30 p.m. There will be vendors and door prizes available.

Optional session for CEUs

An optional Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide laws and regulations update will begin at 4 p.m. The speaker will be Vick Alexander, assistant regional director-pesticides, Texas Department of Agriculture, San Antonio.

One TDA laws and regulations continuing education unit will be available during the optional session.

Beef course topics and speakers

The program topics will include:

What to expect weather-wise – Bob Rose, chief meteorologist, Lower Colorado River Authority, Austin.
Ag policy update: Key issues affecting farmers and ranchers – Melissa Hamilton, executive director of government relations, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Austin.
Ranching in a new climate – Megan Clayton, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension range specialist, Uvalde; Karl Harborth, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, Corpus Christi; and Yuri Calil, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist, Corpus Christi.

Source : tamu.edu

Video: Season 7, Episode 1: Managing Risk and Seeing Opportunities in U.S. Pork Production

Today’s episode features three guests discussing the similarities and differences between pork production in the United States and Brazil, along with strategies for managing risk in today’s industry while recognizing and acting on opportunities. First, Dr. Anne Caroline de Lara, executive manager of live pig production at Seara Alimentos, a JBS company in Brazil, is joined by Dr. Matthew Turner, head of operations for JBS Live Pork. Together, they discuss how labor, climate and ventilation challenges vary between Brazil and the United States, while underscoring their shared commitment to raising healthy pigs. They also point to lessons producers in both countries can take from one another’s systems and on-farm experiences. Then, Brady Reicks, risk manager at Reicks View Farms, shares his perspective on risk management, drawing from his background in markets and his transition into farming. He discusses how protecting margins varies by operation and offers practical approaches producers can use to make marketing and business decisions with greater confidence rather than hesitation.

Both conversations were recorded at recent industry events focused on swine livability, including the International Conference on Pig Livability and Iowa Swine Day.