BIF annual meeting and research symposium early registration due May 31; BIF tour stops announced
Save $80 and register by May 31 for the 2018 Beef Improvement Federation annual meeting and research symposium. This year’s event, themed 50th Anniversary in the Rockies, will be June 20 to June 23 at the Embassy Suites Convention Center Hotel in Loveland, Colorado.
Online registration is available at http://www.beefimprovement.org. Walk-in registration will be available during the event, but register online by May 31 to save $80.
This year’s BIF symposium features two and a half days of educational programming and a full day of tours. The first morning’s general session—“Positioning for the Future of Beef Production”—will feature Mark McCully, Certified Angus Beef vice president; Sara Place, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association senior director of sustainable beef production research; Dorian Garrick, Massey University professor and chief scientist; and John Pollak, Cornell University emeritus professor.
The second day’s general session, “Decision Time: Who will own our industry?” will include presentations by Wade Small, Agri Beef Inc. livestock division president; Marty Ropp, Allied Genetic Resources; Dr, Matt Cleveland, Genus ABS global beef product development director; Dan Moser, Angus Genetics Inc. president; Wade Shafer, American Simmental Association executive vice president; Larry Benyshek, Benyshek and Hough Consulting Services; and John Genho, Livestock Genetic Services LLC.
The afternoon breakout sessions both days will focus on a range of beef-production and genetic-improvement topics. The conference also features a Young Producer Symposium on Wednesday afternoon, designed to network and equip young cattle producers with essential knowledge as they grow their role in the business. Wednesday evening attendees will also enjoy an opening reception.
An industry tour is scheduled for Saturday. Stops will include: Kuner Feedlot, a division of Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, Kersey, Colorado; Cherokee Ranch & Castle- Sedalia, Colorado; and Anheuser-Busch Brewery Experience, Fort Collins, Colorado. The tours will leave from the headquarters hotel at 7 a.m. and return approximately 7 p.m. For more information on the tour stops, registration, complete schedule and lodging information, visit http://www.beefimprovement.org.
Each year the BIF symposium draws a large group of leading seedstock and commercial beef producers, academics and allied industry partners. The attendance list is a “who’s who” of the beef value chain, offering great networking opportunities and conversations about the issues of the day. Program topics focus on how the beef industry can enhance value through genetic improvement across a range of attributes that affect the value chain.
The Beef Improvement Federation is an organization dedicated to coordinating all segments of the beef industry—from researchers and producers to retailers—in an effort to improve the efficiency, profitability and sustainability of beef production. The organization was initiated almost 70 years ago to encourage the use of objective measurements to evaluate beef cattle. Continuing the tradition, BIF is now the clearinghouse for developing standardized programs and methodologies for recording of performance data for all traits, from birth weights to carcass traits. Its three-leaf-clover logo symbolizes the link between industry, extension and research.
