By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor
Texas A&M University’s Beef Cattle Short Course will be held online this year due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
The popular event is the largest beef cattle educational event in the country and normally attracts more than 2,000 beef cattle producers from Texas and around the world, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, which co-hosts the event with the Texas A&M University Department of Animal Science.
The first beef cattle short course was held in 1942 to discuss results of beef cattle research from the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station with ranchers. Since then, the event has grown to become what many consider the premiere beef cattle education experience.
“We have a program with a lot of history behind it,” Dr. Jason Cleere, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist and short course coordinator, said. “It was cancelled a couple of times during World War II and in the 1980s, but it’s a continuous and well-recognized event. We didn’t want a two-year period to go by without having something to offer our ranchers. We felt that we could make the decision early and re-channel our efforts into developing a first-class virtual experience this year.”
The event will be broadcast live online Aug. 3-5 but also will be available for registered participants to watch later at their own pace, Cleere noted.
Topics covered during the short course will include animal health, nutrition, reproduction, breeding, genetics, selection, research, marketing, animal handling, landowner issues, fence building and more.
Management sessions include information on business, forage and range, and Cleere said there would be added emphasis on ways to stay profitable in depressed economic conditions.
“Many of our sessions will be focused on managing cost without sacrificing production,” Cleere said. “The cattle industry has really experienced a lot of turmoil from the COVID-19 pandemic. Right now, there’s a lot of interest in the ‘farm to fork’ movement because of the pandemic, so we’ll be talking a lot about that and other things cattle ranchers can do during difficult times.”
The course is designed for everyone from new cattle owners to seasoned ranchers, according to the event website.
There will be a virtual trade show and live demonstrations, including some sessions on cattle handling at different ranches and cattle facilities. A “brush-buster” session, previously conducted using potted plants, will be broadcast live from a rangeland setting.
“Technology has allowed us to branch out and do things differently than we have in the past,” he said. “We have some creative ideas, and we’ll probably continue to incorporate some of those things as we move back to in-person meetings going forward.”
Registration is $99 through July 1, when the price increases to $129. Refunds for those who do not wish to participate in the online version of the event will be issued through July 31, less a $50 administrative fee.
Participants can earn nine or more Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide continuing education units if already licensed.
For more information, visit http://beefshortcourse.com or call 979.845.6931.
Click here to register.