By Julie Tomascik
Editor
Registration is underway for the 67th annual Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course in College Station, and this year, Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) members will receive a discount on registration.
“This is the first time for Texas Farm Bureau to collaborate with the Beef Cattle Short Course to offer a discount code at registration,” TFB President Russell Boening said. “We hope Farm Bureau members will take advantage of the savings, educational material and networking opportunities provided through the short course. This is a one-of-a-kind educational event that provides important information to ranchers—regardless of ranch size and experience.”
The short course, which is set for Aug. 2-4, is the largest beef cattle educational event in the U.S.
The three-day event will include more than 20 sessions covering basic practices, new technologies and hot topics. Six live demonstrations and a trade show exhibit with an estimated 140 exhibitors, as well as the traditional prime rib dinner, will also be part of the short course.
More than 2,000 ranchers, beef industry representatives and exhibitors are expected to attend this year’s event, but a virtual option will also be available.
On the agenda
Educational sessions will address forage and beef cattle management, health, nutrition and reproduction, record-keeping, genetics, purebred cattle and more. Outlooks on weather and markets, as well as an overview on land values and increasing urban sprawl, are also on the agenda.
“We are excited to invite everyone back to the Texas A&M campus to join us for this year’s event,” said Dr. Jason Cleere, conference coordinator and AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist in the Department of Animal Science. “Not only are we going to be able to serve up our traditional Texas Aggie Prime Rib Dinner, but we’ll also be offering all our live demonstrations for participants for all to see.”
Demonstrations will cover live cattle handling, chute-side calf working, brush management, tractor safety and beef carcass value determination.
“We want to help producers focus on efficiencies in their operation,” Cleere said. “Many expenses are going through the roof, so they need to focus on where to invest and where to possibly cut some corners. That will be highlighted throughout the short course.”
TFB member discount
The fee is $210 for those attending in person and $160 online. The prices go up to $250 and $200, respectively, after July 27.
TFB members will receive $20 off both the in-person and online registrations.
“We’re excited our members will be able to save on the registration fee for the Beef Cattle Short Course,” Boening said. “Texas Farm Bureau is constantly evaluating ways we can offer our members beneficial information and savings, and we think we combined both of those through this affiliation with the short course.”
The discount is applied at registration when you use the code TXFB.
Registration details
The short course is hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University.
For more details on the Beef Cattle Short Course and to register, visit https://beefcattleshortcourse.com or call 979.845.6931.
Contact Tracy Tomascik, TFB associate director of Commodity and Regulatory Affairs, at ttomascik@txfb.org or 254.751.2266 with questions regarding the TFB member discount.
For a full list of benefits and services available to TFB members, visit texasfarmbureau.org/memberbenefits.