The cattle industry’s biggest convention and trade show includes two traditional days of thought-provoking sessions designed to help generate high returns for your operation.

David Cooper

Managing Editor / Progressive Cattle

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Cattlemen’s College kicks off Feb. 3 with hands-on forums utilizing live cattle:

• Manners Matter: Keeping Your Cattle Alive and Well
  The “do’s and don’ts” for processing cattle through a chute, with Dr. Arn Anderson
• Selection of Replacement Heifers for Fertile Longevity
  The visual, genetic and DNA evaluation to forecast performance, with Dr. Jerry Lipsey
• Selection of Replacement Bulls for Fertility
  The next step in EPDs using genomic enhancement and visual enhancement traits, with Dr. Kent Anderson

Sessions for Feb. 4 include:

• General session:  Sustainability and the Future of Beef
  What does the largest buyer of U.S. beef – a company that serves 69 million global consumers a day – see ahead for the sustainability of our industry? Keynote Speaker Bob Langert, corporate vice president, corporate social responsibility and sustainability at McDonald’s Corporation

Langert, who heads the global approach in this area for the McDonald’s Corporation, will share his company’s sustainable supply-chain vision and how beef fits.

Breakout sessions:

• Vaccinations: The Tip of the Iceberg
  Vaccination programs as part of a complete herd health plan, with Dr. Arn Anderson
• What are Consumers Saying About Beef?
  The industry’s response to consumer demands, with Dr. Molly McAdams
• The Ecology and Economics of Drought Management
  Recognizing drought conditions and implementing effective mitigation strategies, with Drs. Rod Heitschmidt and Richard Connor
• U.S. Beef and the Global Marketplace
  With China emerging as the world’s largest meat importer, and Brazil continuing to expand beef production, what will be the new competitive environment for U.S. beef?, with CattleFax staff
• Stop The Fighting on the way to the Funeral Home
  Avoiding potential family squabbles that can break up businesses, with Jolene Brown
• Beef Cattle Welfare: Importance, Issues and Progress
  The impact of animal welfare on well-being, production and marketing, as well as responsible sourcing and how it’s done, with Dr. Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein and Dean Danilson (Tyson)
• The Fifth Dimension: How the Actions of the Individual Producer Affect the Larger Beef Community
  Moving beyond traditional financial accounting to help shape success and sustainable cattle operations, with Mike Nichol and Robin Faulkner

• Market Scenarios and Dynamics
  Global markets, commodity prices and their impact on profitability, with Dr. Michael Swanson
• New Beef Cuts and Methods of Preparing Beef (Session I)
  Focus on carcass evaluation, with Phil Bass (Certified Angus Beef)
• What Were the Smartest Things Our Families Did to Maintain Ranch Profitability, Sustainability and Family Values? (panel discussion)
  Passing on the legacy and heritage of ranches
• Feed Efficiency: Opportunities and Challenges
  Improving feed efficiency in ranch production practices, with Dr. Larry Berger and Cody Jorgenson
• Maintaining Profitability with Stockers (panel discussion)
  Post-weaning, pre-feedlot factors important to attaining profitability, with Dr. Dale Blasi, Brad Ethridge and Brian Celsor
• What is the Latest in Beltway Gossip?
  Congress plans and legislative changes that may affect your operation, with Roger Bernard
• New Beef Cuts and Methods of Preparing Beef (Session II)
  Focus on carcass utilization, with Bridget Wasser and Steve Wald (NCBA)
• BQA Training Session: Stockmanship and Stewardship
  A hands-on session, held at the Events Center, conducted by Curt Pate and Dr. Ron Gill
• Bovine Emergency Response Seminar
  Those attending the Bovine Emergency Response Plan course will learn important information to improve knowledge and skills for response to cattle transportation accidents involving semi tractor-trailers and stock trailers.

Attendees will acquire techniques related to scene arrival, background and response actions, biosecurity, proper animal care and handling, humane euthanasia, mortality handling and disposal.

Hands-on training will provide knowledge in animal handling, euthanasia, extraction of animals from trailers, triage and containment. This session is intended for first responders, law enforcement and veterinarians.

Lunch is included with your Cattlemen’s College Registration. Attendees will have the chance to grab lunch and enjoy a roundtable discussion with the speakers from earlier in the day.

Ticket price for Cattlemen’s College: $175. Student price for Cattlemen’s College: $70. Prices include Monday sessions and reception, Tuesday sessions and lunch.

To attend Cattlemen’s College, you must purchase a full four-day registration for the convention or a one-day Feb. 4 registration.

Go to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's website to register and learn more. 

PHOTOS
TOP: The NCBA Trade Show is the biggest of its kind for the beef industry.

MIDDLE: Chefs prepare some beef on the trade show floor of the NCBA show in Nashville in 2012.

BOTTOM: Stockmanship instructor Curt Pate will again present training at this year’s NCBA. Photos by David Cooper.

- From David Cooper news release