Cattlemen’s Seminar Next Friday in Hudson (Angelina County)

While East Texas is known for growing pine trees and the subsequent timber industry, it is also well known that we raise lots of cattle and hay. Make no mistake, raising cattle is big business in East Texas. Truly, the number one business of private, non-industrial landowners is cattle.

As such, a large part of the Extension office’s educational effort is geared to our cattlemen. This Friday in Hudson, several county Extension agents are holding a joint county program aimed at helping cattlemen from across the region.

Dubbed the Pineywoods Cattle Congress, the day-long program will be at the Sunnyhill Ranch from 8:00 am until 3:00 p.m. at 7611 State Highway 94, Lufkin, TX, located west of Lufkin between Hudson High School and the Neches River on the south side of Hwy 94.

Topics for the day include breeding soundness of bulls, bull selection, the economic outlook for the beef industry, the “Economics of a Cow”, and weed control of grassy weeds by using a ‘wick’ applicator.

The topic of the Economic Outlook for the Beef Industry will be tackled by Dr. David Anderson, Professor and Extension Economist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. The beef industry has seen some very strong prices at the auction barn for cattle. While this is certainly welcome, Anderson will try and help give an understanding of the record-high prices and shed light on what the future may look like for cattle producers.

Dr. Jason Cleere, Associate Professor & Extension Beef Cattle Specialist at Texas A&M will discuss ‘The Economics of a Cow’ to break down the inputs, expenses, and potential profit of a cow, our basic unit of production. Additionally, Cleere will also

Local veterinarian, Dr. Bradley Clary, will discuss the procedure used to ensure bulls are ready to go for a breeding season.

Lastly, attendees will tour the pasture and the efforts by the host Pete Johson to control Vaseygrass and Smutgrass. Both grasses are of little to no value for beef production and can be quite invasive and have proven difficult to control.

Sponsors for the field day are Heritage Land Bank, Jarvis Farm Equipment, and GrassWorks. Farm equipment will be on display and will provide demonstrations in the afternoon for those who are interested.

Individuals with Pesticide Applicator licenses with the Texas Department of Agriculture will receive one CEU toward their pesticide license.

The Pineywoods Cattle Congress will be held on Friday, May 17, 2024, from 8 am to 3 pm. Early registration is requested by Tuesday, May 14. Participants are requested to provide a courtesy call to the Angelina County Extension office at 936-634-6414 x 0, to help plan for the program and the lunch meal.

The Pineywoods Cattle Congress, it is a non-profit, non-political, educational event organized by Extension offices in Angelina, Nacogdoches, Panola, Sabine, San Augustine and Shelby Counties.

For more information contact me at 936-634-6414 x 2.