The North Central Arkansas Beef Cattle Conference is scheduled for Aug. 3, 2009 at the North Arkansas Livestock Auction in Green Forest, Ark., according to Mark Keaton, Baxter County Extension agent with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
The North Central Arkansas Beef Cattle Conference is a joint educational effort by the Division of Agriculture and Farm Credit Services of Western Arkansas. It's designed to provide beef cattle producers with the latest information on beef cattle management. The beef cattle conference will feature many nationally recognized experts in several areas.
The program will focus on selecting quality replacement heifers, reducing production costs and what the future might bring for beef cattle markets. The program begins with Dr. Jerry Crownover demonstrating which factors you should look for in a replacement heifer. Heifers of different weights and types will be evaluated for their maternal traits. Crownover operates a 200-head commercial cow/calf operation in Lawrence County, Missouri, and also is a columnist for Ozarks Farm & Neighbor.
Don Hubbell, resident director at the U of A Livestock & Forestry Branch Station at Batesville, Ark., will discuss ways to reduce production costs. Hubbell manages the station’s 325-cow/calf operation and incorporates many cost saving practices on his own cow/calf operation.
After the break, Dr. Tom Troxel, professor and associate department head in Animal Science, will address the many different government programs related to animal identification. Many producers are confused about the terms COOL, QSA and NAIS. This will be an opportunity to review the differences of these programs.
Troy Applehans will present a beef cattle situation and outlook. Markets have never been so unstable. Applehans, a market analyst for Cattle-Fax, is responsible for feeder cattle and cow/calf industries of the Southern Plains as well as the southeastern states of the United States.
A registration fee of $20 will be collected at the door. Conference registration and dinner begins at 5:30 p.m., and the program starts at 6:10 p.m. The program will conclude about 8:30 p.m.
For more information, contact the Baxter County Cooperative Extension office at 870-425-2335, or your county Extension agent. Also, visit www.ozarksfn.com for a complete schedule of the evening.
