Cattle Trails Cow-Calf Conference To Be Held Dec. 3 In Wichita Falls

Nov 26, 2015

The Cattle Trails Cow-Calf Conference, jointly hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Oklahoma Cooperative Extension, will be Dec. 3 in Wichita Falls.

Becoming as efficient as possible is the focus for this year’s conference, said Stan Bevers, AgriLife Extension economist in Vernon. Each speaker will address how ranchers can achieve efficient levels of production and financial success while minimizing risk.

The conference is set for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the MPEC Center, 1000 5th St. in Wichita Falls. Registration is $25 per person and includes educational materials, a copy of the Cattle Trails Cow-Calf Conference materials, a noon meal and refreshments.

Producers are asked to preregister by contacting their local AgriLife Extension county agent, their Oklahoma Cooperative Extension county educator or by contacting Allison Ha at 940-552-9941, extension 225 or by email at allison.ha@ag.tamu.edu.

The program will include the following speakers and topics:

– Bevers, targets for key performance activities of ranchers, including productivity levels to achieve as well as expense levels to minimize.

– Dr. Ron Gill, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist from College Station, balancing safety, cattle movements and cost in designing corrals and cattle processing areas.

– Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension livestock economist in Stillwater, Oklahoma, an overall report on and forecast of the cattle and beef markets.

– Dr. Dave Lalman, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension beef cattle specialist in Stillwater, Oklahoma, efficient use of supplements in the cow herd.

– Dr. Twain Butler, Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation forage research agronomist, Ardmore, Oklahoma, appropriate forage systems for the southern Great Plains area.

– Dr. Tiffany Dowell-Lashmet, AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist in Amarillo, factors that every landowner should know about grazing leases.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.