The Texas AgriLife Extension Service program specifically designed to help beef-cattle producers plan for rebuilding their beef herd will be held May 4 at the Auction Barn on the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo grounds, at 3201 East Houston Street in San Antonio.
"The reduced cow inventory combined with high input costs, competing uses for land, prices of competing meats and the radical changes in grain use are reshaping the beef business," says Dr. Rick Machen, Texas AgriLife Extension Service livestock specialist in Uvalde and the program presenter. "Those with serious intent to enter, rebuild or expand their operations can't wait for rains and greener pastures. They need to develop a plan they can have in place when opportunity presents itself."
BEEF UP. A May 4 meeting in San Antonio will focus on rebuilding the cattle herd.
Machen says the "Rebuilding the Beef Herd" program in Bexar County is part of a statewide educational initiative from the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. The program will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a general session including the topics "Beef—Better (and Different) Times Ahead," "Forage Recovery and Pasture Restocking" and "Evaluating Replacement Options." Lunch will be at noon, followed by the 1 p.m. presentation "Can a $2,500 Cow Break Even?" From 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. there will be two afternoon breakout sessions—one on flexibility in resource use and the other on leased grazing. These two sessions also will be repeated from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., with the program adjournment set for 5 p.m.
"Since this is primarily an urban county, it's a little more difficult for people replenishing their beef-cattle herds to find replacement stock," says Bryan Davis, Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent, Bexar County. "In particular, many small landowners in this area had to sell their entire herd during the drought, so this program will be useful for them in trying to rebuild. This program will give them an opportunity to learn how to identify and buy better quality cattle for improving their herd."
Registration is $40 per person and includes lunch. To register, you can go online http://agriliferegister.tamu.edu and type "beef" into the keyword file.