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.

New Trichomoniasis Program Adopted in Texas for Beef Cattle

If you are a cattle producer but don’t know what Trichomoniasis (commonly called Trich) is, then you soon will. According to a recent Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) report, Texas has adopted a Trichomoniasis regulatory program. Beginning April 1, 2009, breeding bulls entering Texas from any other state must be either 24 months of age or younger and certified as a virgin, or be tested negative for cattle trichomoniasis within 30 days prior to entry. The adoption of this program occurred February 24 by the Texas Animal Health Commission to address Trichomoniasis which is a venereal disease in cattle that causes infertility and abortions. Other effects of the disease include extended breeding seasons, reduced calf crops and ultimately loss of income to producers. A second phase of the program will go into effect January 1, 2010 and will address the in-state movement of Texas breeding bulls. Part of the reason for the new program is when breeding bulls are infected, they may continue to appear and act normally. The new regulations also have deemed Trich as a reportable disease in the state of Texas. According to Dr. Bob Hillman, TAHC executive director, "... this will give us more information on where and how much infection already is in the state". Why aren’t cows included in this program you might ask? The reason is if a cow is infected during breeding and loses a fetus she still has a chance to clear the disease. A majority of infected cows will clear the infection if they are given 120 to 150 days of sexual rest. A vaccine can also be administered to infected cows to help control the disease in the cow herd. For more details on this subject and to read the entire Texas Animal Health Commission report go online to http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/news/pr/2009/2009Feb_TrichomoniasisProgramAdopted.pdf