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Cattle producers head to class at Cattlemen's Boot CampClasses weren't in session yet at Texas A&M University, but that didn't stop nearly 60 cattle producers from enhancing their knowledge of beef production. Attendees from four states attended the Cattlemen's Boot Camp, Aug. 22 and 23 at the Texas A&M Beef Center in College Station to learn about all segments of production, both in the classroom and through hands-on opportunities. The American Angus Association organized the Boot Camp along with the host Texas A&M. Additional funding for the Boot Camp is provided through the Angus Foundation. The Cattlemen's Boot Camp is a 1 1/2 day learning opportunity for all cattle producers--newcomers to the beef industry as well as experienced producers--and covers reproduction, nutrition, herd health as well as marketing and producing a high-quality end product. Bill Mies, Texas A&M professor emeritus in beef cattle science, presented the key note address and discussed both customer service and producing a high quality product that meets consumer demands. He persuaded those in attendance to take their marketing skills beyond the point of closing the sale. "When the bull leaves your ranch and you've cashed the check, you have taken the first step in marketing, not the last," Mies said as he encouraged the seedstock producers to build relationships with their customers to better understand their needs. He also encouraged ranchers to understand the consumer needs, predicting that the majority of retail beef will be sold through branded programs in the next five years. Other program topics addressed during the first session by Texas A&M experts included maintaining reproductive performance, by L.R. Sprott; utilizing low-quality forages by Tryon Wickersham; and phenotypic cattle evaluation with Paul Maulsby. Maulsby also covered permanent identification and body condition scores in interactive sessions with live cattle. An afternoon at the meats lab included meat scientist Davey Griffin discussing carcass grading and determining carcass value. Participants had the opportunity to view carcasses and see the various cuts of beef. Gary Fike, Certified Angus Beef LLC, talked about marketing trends and aligning with branded beef programs to realize value of the product. Bill Bowman, American Angus Association chief operating officer, wrapped up day one with an explanation of selection tools including expected progeny differences and $Value Indexes available from the Association. The group then made bull selection decisions based on a given scenario and past cow-herd data from a mock herd. "The hands-on BCS and EPD exercise were very good at putting all the information together," commented one participant on an event survey. The second day began with Ty Groshans, director of commercial programs for the Association, discussing the value of source verification programs and working with commercial producers. Erin Johnston, senior communications manager for the Texas Beef Council, provided an overview to the producers on how to communicate with others and the media about safely produced nutritious beef. Buddy Faries, Texas A&M professor and extension program leader in veterinary medicine, captivated the attendees with two sessions--managing dystocia in beef cattle and establishing a herd health program. He demonstrated various methods of assisted calf delivery and discussed the importance of establishing and implementing an annual health program. "This is one of the best courses I've attended in any profession," wrote another Boot Camp attendee. This is the ninth Cattlemen's Boot Camp organized by the American Angus Association with funding by the Angus Foundation. 9/8/08 Date: 9/4/08
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