Thursday, September 3, 2009


Grazing Management and Stockmanship Workshop Set for September 25 in Corsicana, TX

When it comes to beef cattle production, reducing animal stress can increase animal performance and the profitability of an operation. With that in mind, a Grazing Management and Stockmanship Workshop will be held in Corsicana at the Navarro County Exposition Center on Friday, September 25. The program will start at 8:30 am and run until 3:30 pm and cost is $10 per person to cover the steak lunch and materials. If you are a ranch owner or manager, day worker, horse owner or have any interest in working cattle and beef production you will want to make plans to attend this program.


Presenters and topics for the day include the following: Dr. Dennis Sigler, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Equine Specialist, will kick the program off by discussing grazing strategies and impacts of horses and the unique nutritional needs of horses. Mark Moseley, Texas State Grazing Land Conservation Initiative Coordinator and Range Management Specialist with USDA-NRCS, will then cover grazing management for beef cattle operations. Stacy Fox, Members Program Managers for Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, will then discuss Trichomoniasis in Texas and regulations that producers need to be aware of. This is a timely issue as this bovine disease may be more prevalent in the state of Texas than previously thought and compliance will be critical. At 11:15am, the program will then break for a Trade Show and a steak lunch cooked by Third Avenue Meat Market - Corsicana.


Following lunch, the program will move to the enclosed livestock arena and receive hands-on instruction from Curt Pate and Dr. Ron Gill on effective stockmanship and low stress cattle handling. Curt Pate is a stockmanship instructor, lifelong rancher and was selected three years in a row as the AQHA Clinician of the year. Dr. Ron Gill serves as a Livestock Specialist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service and is a lifelong cattleman. Demonstrations will be conducted horseback using live cattle. Wrapping up the day we will have a chute side demonstration and focus on tips and methods to reduce stress when working cattle through a chute and headgate.


Sponsors for the program include: Texas AgriLife Extension Service, United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resource Conservation Service, Texas State Grazing Land Conservation Initiative, Blackland Prairie GLCI, Central Texas Quarter Horse Association, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers, Bluebonnet RC&D and Leon-Bosque RC&D, Purina, Midcontinent Livestock Supplements, Miraco, Merial, Tru-Test, Priefert, AQHA, Livestock Marketing Association, National Cattleman’s Beef Association and the Beef Checkoff. If you are interested please RSVP by 9/21 at 903-654-3075 or jdscasta@ag.tamu.edu. For the full flier, information about presenters and map/directions to the facility go to http://navarro-tx.tamu.edu -> "Grazing & Stockmanship Workshop". More information about Curt Pate and Ron Gill is also available at www.effectivestockmanship.com.