Registration open for Ranch-Raised Beef Conference on May 30-31 in College Station

Event offers inside look at production and marketing of beef

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Whether they are grass- or grain-finished, producers can find out more about marketing their cattle at the Ranch-Raised Beef Conference on May 30-31 in College Station. (Michael Miller/Texas A&M AgriLife)

The conference is designed to explore the production and marketing of beef from the ranch, including both grass-finished and grain-finished, said Jason Cleere, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist and event coordinator, Bryan-College Station.

The program will begin with registration at 8 a.m. on May 30 in the Texas A&M Rosenthal Meat and Technology Center, 488 Olsen Blvd., on the Texas A&M campus and conclude at 4 p.m. on May 31.

Parking will be designated, and more information will be provided upon registration.

The fee of $300 will include 16 hours of classroom training, resources, face-to-face access to the experts and meals throughout the two days. To register and get more information, go to https://beefcattleshortcourse.com/beef-706-2-2/.

“Last year, we reformatted the conference to include both grass- and grain-finished beef raised and marketed on the ranch,” Cleere said. “The interest was very high, and the program sold out. This year, we improved a couple of aspects of the program and are excited to, once again, offer the Ranch-Raised Beef Conference for those who could not attend last year.”

This conference is designed to cover how to grow forages for raising cattle, grazing strategies, forage-finishing diets and grain-finished programs, carcass fabrication, understanding processor cut sheets and marketing strategies.

On the agenda

The following topics and AgriLife Extension experts are on the agenda for the two-day event:

  • What Kind of Beef Do You Want to Market? Defining Freezer, Natural, Forage-Finished and Organic Beef, Ron Gill, Ph.D., livestock specialist, Bryan-College Station.
  • Types and Breeds of Cattle for Ranch-Raised Beef, Cleere.
  • From Weaning to Harvest: What Is the Process for Grain- or Forage-Finished Beef? Gill.
  • Growing Forages for the Pre-Grain-Finishing and Forage-Finishing Phases, Larry Redmon, Ph.D., professor and associate head for AgriLife Extension in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.
  • Your Check-off Dollar at Work, Texas Beef Council.
  • Developing a Grazing Management Plan to Facilitate Pasture Growing or Finishing Programs.
  • Fundamentals of Finishing Cattle in Grain, Grass or Combined Grain and Grass Feeding Programs, Jason Smith, Ph.D., beef cattle specialist, Amarillo.
  • Sustainability of Forage- and Grain-Finished Beef Systems, Jacquelyn Prestegaard-Wilson, Ph.D., sustainability specialist, Bryan-College Station.
  • Fabrication – from Carcass to Retail Cuts: Where is the Value? Davey Griffin, Ph.D., meat specialist, Bryan-College Station.
  • Your Beef Check-off Dollars at Work, Texas Beef Council.
  • Meat Quality Sensory Demonstration: Factors That Influence Eating Satisfaction, Griffin.
  • Selling Live Animals or Retail Beef: What is the Best Option? Griffin.
  • Working with Customers and Processors on Cut Sheets and Carcass Fabrication Needs, Griffin.
  • Marketing Ranch-Raised Beef.

For more information, call 979-314-8507 or email Cleere at Jason.cleere@ag.tamu.edu.

Courtesy of Texas A&M AgriLife