According to Garry L. Mathes, chair of the 2012 Missouri Livestock Symposium, this year’s beef cattle section is intended to help producers economically, plan for the future, be safe and provide the latest on some economically significant cattle diseases.
The program will be held December 7 and 8 in Kirksville, MO. Program details may be found at missourilivestock.com or by calling Garry Mathes at 660-341-6625 or the Adair County Extension Center at 660-665-9866. There is no cost to attend the program and no registration is needed. Event hours are from 4 to 10 p.m. on Friday, December 7 and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 8. In addition to educational programs and speakers on all species of livestock (horses, beef cattle, sheep and meat goats), the Symposium also has a great program and speakers on forages, stock dogs, and farm succession planning, to just name a few of the topics. Mathes says, “the program will also cover a long term weather outlook which should be of interest to all after the summer of 2012.”
The beef cattle section will key-in on an old nemesis of cattlemen as several speakers will address various aspects of pinkeye, including the latest findings. Dr. Gary Snowder, University of Nevada-Reno (UNR), will be on hand to discuss “Genetic Factors Influencing Pinkeye Susceptibility.” Dr. Snowder is an internationally renowned researcher on the subject and prior to his position at UNR, he did work at USDA’s Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska as well as leading research at the U. S. Sheep Experiment Station in Dubois, Idaho. Dr. Snowder will also speak in the sheep section at the Symposium.
Also addressing cattle pinkeye will be Dr. Bruce Addison of Fayette, Missouri. Addison Laboratories is a leading producer and innovator of pinkeye vaccines and Dr. Addison is a sought after speakers on the subject nationally. Dr. Addison will share his latest findings on pinkeye and recommendations to prevent this costly problem. In addition to the two individual talks listed above, University of Missouri Extension Veterinarian Dr. Craig Payne will join Dr. Snowder and Dr. Addison on a panel to answer questions about pinkeye that producers may want to ask. Dr. Payne will also provide cattle updates on bull infertility related to pour-ons, EHD and Bluetongue.
The beef section program also features Dr. Ron Gill of Texas A & M. Dr. Gill will talk on “Cattle Behavior and Handling.” He will also be a featured speaker in the equine section where he will address the topic of “Feeding Horses Simplified.”
Also on the docket is a talk on the University of Missouri’s new Quality Beef Program. Mike Kasten, Director of the Quality Beef Program, along with Scott Brown of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) and Dr. Dave Patterson, University of Missouri, will be on hand to describe the benefits of the program and answer questions producers may have. The Quality Beef Program grew out of the popular Show-Me Select heifer Program and aims to do the same with high quality steers.
The Missouri Livestock Symposium will also feature an agriculturally related trade show, a free beef meal on Friday evening at 6 p.m., and a free lunch on Saturday at noon, coordinated by the Missouri Department of Agriculture and sponsored by many of Missouri’s fine commodity groups and the Missouri Livestock Symposium planning committee.
Friday evening’s program will feature Tony Clayton of Clayton Agri-marketing, who will speak on “Livestock Exports and the Effect on U. S. Agriculture.” Harold Trump of Luray, Missouri will be inducted into the Missouri Livestock Symposium Hall of Fame and Missouri State Representative Tom Shively will be presented the Agriculture Educators Lifetime Achievement Award.
Full program details can be found at www.missourilivestock.com or by calling 660-665-9866 or 660-341-6625.
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