Santa Rosa County FL : Northwest Florida Beef Conference & Trade Show - February 14

Cattle ranchers, employees and their family members are invited to attend the 33rd annual Northwest Florida Beef Conference and Trade Show, Wed., Feb. 14, at the Jackson County Extension Office, 2741 Penn Avenue in Marianna. Registration and the trade show open at 7:30 a.m., the program starts at 8:15 a.m. and concludes with a steak lunch. Cost: $5 per person, payable at the door.

With the U.S. beef herd still in expansion mode, cattle prices are not expected to improve in 2018. Thus, presentations at the conference will focus on fine-tuning management to maintain profitability. Escambia County Extension Director Nick Simmons will discuss where to begin this process. Dr. Ryon Walker, livestock consultant with Noble Research Institute, will give a keynote address on improving cow efficiency. Chris Prevatt, UF livestock economist, will provide a brief market outlook and a spreadsheet tool to help ranchers file their income taxes and perform a ranch analysis to fine-tune their management. Kim Mullenix, Auburn beef specialist, will discuss hay and baleage research, and efficient production of stored forages. Nicolas DiLorenzo, UF beef specialist will share a spreadsheet tool to help producers select supplemental feeds based on hay test results.

In addition, the conference will feature a trade show of organizations that offer goods and services to cattle producers. The Northwest Florida Beef Conference and Trade Show is an educational program provided by the UF/IFAS Panhandle Agriculture Extension Team. For more information, contact Doug Mayo at 850-482-9620.