Stocker Cattle, Beef Quality Assurance Certification Program is June 21 in West

By Susan Himes

The 13th annual Central Texas Stocker Cattle Program, presented by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in McLennan County along with multiple county AgriLife Extension committees, will be held June 21.

The program will be at the West Auction Barn, 20645 N. Interstate 35, West. A breakfast, courtesy of Lone Star Ag Credit, and a steak lunch, courtesy of the Texas Beef Council, will be served.

The cost is $10, payable by check or cash only. Registration will begin onsite at 7:30 a.m., and the program will conclude around 3:30 p.m. An RSVP is required, however, before June 16 to the AgriLife Extension office in McLennan County at 254-757-5180 or by emailing candace.chapman@ag.tamu.edu.

A Beef Quality Assurance certification will be provided for those satisfactorily completing the requirements of the program. Vendors and booths will be onsite.

Beef program topics, demonstrations and speakers

The featured topics and experts are:

• Beef Quality Assurance Overview, Shane McLellan, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent, McLennan County.
• Texas Beef Council Update, Kaleb McLaurin, Texas Beef Council executive director of government and public affairs, Austin.
• Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Update, Tyler Schuster, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association manager of education, Fort Worth.
• Theft Awareness and Live Cattle Branding Demonstration, Marvin Wills, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association special ranger, Fort Worth.
• Improving Profit and Beef Carcass Integrity and Necropsy Demonstration, Jeff Sarchet, DVM, Zoetis Animal Health senior veterinarian, Dallas.
• Beef Quality Assurance and Low Stress Handling of Livestock and a Live Handling Demonstration, Ron Gill, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension livestock specialist and associate head for AgriLife Extension in the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science, Bryan-College Station.
• Proper Vaccination Protocol, Jason Swain, Zoetis Animal Health livestock production specialist, Dallas.
• Beef Carcass 101, Davey Griffin, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension meat specialist in the Department of Animal Science, Bryan-College Station.
• Beef Quality Assurance Wrap Up, Gill.