I mentioned it a couple of weeks ago, but I thought I would mention the Range Beef Cow Symposium again today. Now would be a great time to sign up for this year’s Range Beef Cow Symposium. As many of you already know, the meeting is held every other year and is co-sponsored by the animal science departments and Extension programs of Colorado State University, University of Wyoming, University of Nebraska, and South Dakota State University. The symposium rotates between the states. This year it will be December 11th through the 13th at the Larimer County Fairgrounds in Fort Collins, CO.
I know it’s a long drive to Fort Collins, but you ought to consider making the trip. The educational program is aimed at the cow-calf rancher and has a long history of offering practical, science-based production information. As always, symposium topics include Industry issues, cow-calf nutrition, management practices, reproductive management, animal health, selection and genetics, range and forage management, and markets and marketing cattle. The Range Beef Cow Symposium was one of the things I missed most when I moved from Wyoming to Washington state. The evening “Bull Pen Sessions” and interesting mix of topics make the Range Beef Cow Symposium a truly unique opportunity. So, mark December 11th through the 13th on your calendar. Pick up a brochure at our office or visit rangebeefcow.com for more information. I also left some brochures on the table at the Valentine Livestock Auction Market, so if you happen to be at a sale, you can probably get a brochure there as well.
I also want to let you know the details of this winter’s Beef Satellite Short Course. I don’t know how long it’s been going on, but every winter UNL Extension offers a workshop series via satellite downlink to extension offices across the state. This year’s series, Beefing Up the Bottom Line, features four Monday night sessions. The sessions will be from 7 to 9 PM Central Time at the Extension Office in Valentine.
On November 26, 2007, Rick Rasby, UNL Extension Beef Specialist, will talk about what we have learned in the past year about ethanol by-products. It was a little over a year ago that Rick was in Valentine talking about feeding distillers grains, this will be a great chance to see what’s new.
That same evening, Gary Stauffer, UNL Extension Educator in O’Neil will discuss basic nutrition for the working ranch horse. We don’t often get a chance to have a workshop on equine nutrition, so you’ll want to take advantage of the opportunity.
On December 10, 2007, Dr. Darrell Mark, UNL Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, will talk about getting ready to market your cattle to the world’s consumers. He will cover source and age verification as well as other topics. This won’t be a talk about animal ID. It will be a talk about raising cattle that qualify for export.
Matt Spangler, the new UNL Beef Cattle Breeding and Genetics Specialist will teach both the January 14th and January 28th sessions. Dr. Spangler filled the position vacated by Jim Gosey when he retired last year. I’m a little prejudiced, since I have an animal breeding degree, but I think genetics is an important topic. Certainly worth two nights. Dr. Spangler, will discuss crossbreeding on January 14th. His topic will be “Revisiting Crossbreeding—are we forgetting its worth?” On January 28 his topic will be “Indexes and more; new tools and terminology in beef genetics.
It may seem a little early to be talking about programs for the winter, but you all are so busy, I want you to get them on your calendars. As always, you can contact the extension office at 402-376-1850, or visit us online at cherry.unl.edu for more information on these workshops.
