Whether they are grass- or grain-finished, producers can find out more about marketing their cattle at the Ranch-Raised Beef Conference on May 30-31 in College Station. (Michael Miller/Texas A&M AgriLife)

The conference is designed to explore the production and marketing of beef from the ranch, including both grass-finished and grain-finished, said Jason Cleere, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist and event coordinator, Bryan-College Station.

The program will begin with registration at 8 a.m. on May 30 in the Texas A&M Rosenthal Meat and Technology Center, 488 Olsen Blvd., on the Texas A&M campus and conclude at 4 p.m. on May 31.

Parking will be designated, and more information will be provided upon registration.

The fee of $300 will include 16 hours of classroom training, resources, face-to-face access to the experts and meals throughout the two days. To register and get more information, go to https://beefcattleshortcourse.com/beef-706-2-2/.

“Last year, we reformatted the conference to include both grass- and grain-finished beef raised and marketed on the ranch,” Cleere said. “The interest was very high, and the program sold out. This year, we improved a couple of aspects of the program and are excited to, once again, offer the Ranch-Raised Beef Conference for those who could not attend last year.”

This conference is designed to cover how to grow forages for raising cattle, grazing strategies, forage-finishing diets and grain-finished programs, carcass fabrication, understanding processor cut sheets and marketing strategies.

The following topics and AgriLife Extension experts are on the agenda for the two-day event:

What Kind of Beef Do You Want to Market? Defining Freezer, Natural, Forage-Finished and Organic Beef, Ron Gill, Ph.D., livestock specialist, Bryan-College Station.
Types and Breeds of Cattle for Ranch-Raised Beef, Cleere.
From Weaning to Harvest: What Is the Process for Grain- or Forage-Finished Beef? Gill.
Growing Forages for the Pre-Grain-Finishing and Forage-Finishing Phases, Larry Redmon, Ph.D., professor and associate head for AgriLife Extension in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.
Your Check-off Dollar at Work, Texas Beef Council.
Developing a Grazing Management Plan to Facilitate Pasture Growing or Finishing Programs.
Fundamentals of Finishing Cattle in Grain, Grass or Combined Grain and Grass Feeding Programs, Jason Smith, Ph.D., beef cattle specialist, Amarillo.
Sustainability of Forage- and Grain-Finished Beef Systems, Jacquelyn Prestegaard-Wilson, Ph.D., sustainability specialist, Bryan-College Station.
Fabrication – from Carcass to Retail Cuts: Where is the Value? Davey Griffin, Ph.D., meat specialist, Bryan-College Station.
Your Beef Check-off Dollars at Work, Texas Beef Council.
Meat Quality Sensory Demonstration: Factors That Influence Eating Satisfaction, Griffin.
Selling Live Animals or Retail Beef: What is the Best Option? Griffin.
Working with Customers and Processors on Cut Sheets and Carcass Fabrication Needs, Griffin.
Marketing Ranch-Raised Beef.

For more information, call 979-314-8507 or email Cleere at Jason.cleere@ag.tamu.edu.

Courtesy of Texas A&M AgriLife