The River Valley Beef Cattle Conference, a mainstay event brought to Arkansas cattle producers by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, is moving online for 2021.
The webinar is scheduled for Feb. 23, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. CST. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. To register, visit http://bit.ly/2021-RiverValley-Beef-Webinar.
Bob Harper, staff chair for the Logan County Cooperative Extension office, said this year’s conference will present several unique discussions, some of which are tied directly to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on beef market demand.
Janelle Yancey, a program associate with the Division of Agriculture’s animal science program, will discuss the growing popularity of “freezer beef” among consumers. “Freezer beef” refers to the purchase of all or part of a live animal for slaughter, rather than purchasing finished beef cuts at a grocery store, for example.
“Before COVID, you could call a slaughterhouse and get an appointment within a month,” Harper said. “Now it’s like a year.
“A lot of people don’t understand how much meat to expect from that process,” he said. “There’s a formula to it.”
Heidi Ward, extension veterinarian with the Division of Agriculture, will report on the statewide anaplasmosis survey launched in late 2019. Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne pathogen that can be lethal to cattle and other animals.
Most of the conference’s presentations will be pre-recorded, but there will be a live Q&A session afterward, in which Harper will participate. Shane Gadberry, professor of ruminant nutrition for the Division of Agriculture, will moderate the conference, and a representative from Farm Credit of West Arkansas will deliver the conference’s introduction.
In addition to Yancey and Ward’s discussion, the conference’s presentations include Shane Gadberry with the Go Green conditioning program; James Mitchell, assistant professor of livestock marketing and management for the Division of Agriculture, speaking on economics; and John Boyd, visiting assistant professor of crop, soil and environmental science, will talk about new herbicides.
