High Plains Journal’s Cattle U, previously held in Dodge City, Kansas, will be relocated in Manhattan, Kansas, for its fifth year. This free, educational event will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn on July 11 and will include a full day of educational sessions, a panel discussion and a lunch keynote speaker.
Cattle U will begin with an industry panel that will include a diverse line-up of panelists from across the cattle production sector. Next, Jason Warner, Extension cow-calf specialist at Kansas State University, will present a cow-calf nutrition and management after drought session. After long periods of dry conditions, this presentation will highlight key management considerations applicable to current conditions for cow-calf operations recovering from drought.
Joel Jackson, meat pilot plant manager at the Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center at Oklahoma State University, will present a beef carcass fabrication demonstration for attendees. Participants will be able to observe meat cutting techniques and see the locations of numerous beef cuts. This session will be focused on the customers as well as producers looking to add value to the carcass.
With the completion of the meat cutting demonstration, Cattle U attendees will sit down for a complimentary lunch and hear a keynote speech from Matt Perrier, part-owner and manager at Dalebanks Angus in Eureka, Kansas. Perrier is also the host of the Practically Ranching podcast, where he discusses agricultural issues with industry expert guests. Perrier’s lunch keynote, “Addressing antagonisms in ag (without just being an antagonist),” will focus on the decisions every agriculturist will be faced with in the future, such as estate planning and operational expansion. He will discuss the nuanced scope of ag and rural America today, and inspire ways to add sustained profitability to the farm, ranch and community.
HPJ will also present the Cattle U awards during the lunch session, which include cattlewoman of the year and cattleman of the year. Readers and attendees are encouraged to nominate their picks for the awards at www.cattleu.net/awards-nominations/. The deadline for nominations is May 1. Winners will be notified in advance and will receive free lodging, if needed, to attend Cattle U and recognition during the awards ceremony.
Following the lunch keynote, Dr. Kevin Cain, DVM, and director of technical services at Multimin, will present a session about supplementing nutrition for a successful cattle herd. His presentation will detail the importance of minerals like copper, manganese, selenium and zinc, and how providing these can lead to better health, enhanced vaccine response, and increased profitability.
Scott Brown, livestock economist at the University of Missouri will close out the event with a look at the historic drop in cattle numbers due to drought and high input prices. Brown will explain the current data and his predictions for higher cattle prices as well as take a look a market volatility. This session will provide the key factors to watch over the next two years that will determine how high cattle prices will climb.
Registration is free; however, attendees are encouraged to register online by June 23 to secure a seat and free lunch. To learn more about the speakers, sponsors or to register, visit www.cattleu.net. For questions about Cattle U, contact Kylie Reiss at 785-346-4067 or [email protected].
Lacey Vilhauer can be reached at 620-227-1871 or [email protected].
