BELFAST, N.Y. — Region 4 NY Beef Producers Association would like to invite you to their annual meeting on Saturday, March 19th beginning at 1pm with lunch, brief business meeting and followed by presentations. Held at Belfast Fire Hall, 9 Merton Ave, Belfast, NY 14711, the meeting is open to all interested beef and dairy producers. Membership is not required however, new memberships and renewals will be accepted at the meeting with a drawing held for 1 free membership or renewal. The program will also serve as a BQA Recertification workshop if you need to renew.
The cost of the program is $15 per person for adults, $5 for youth 10 and under. Buffet lunch with choice of Beef on Weck or Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich, sides and beverages. Payment will be accepted at the door. We will have door prizes and 50/50 raffles. Pre-registration for the meeting requested by March 12th to assist with lunch planning. Please contact Barb Benjamin, NYBPA Region 4 Chair at 585-610-6536 or lightenliz62@yahoo.com or Lynn Bliven at lao3@cornell.edu.
Presentations: Want to get a “good price” for your beef? Start with knowing YOUR costs first! – Katelyn Walley-Stoll, Team Leader with CCE’s Southwest New York Dairy Livestock and Field Crops Program (a partnership between Cornell University and the five CCE Associations of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Steuben Counties). A walk through the importance and the how-to’s of calculating costs of production for your operation – and why this matters in today’s farm economy! Whether you’re contract based, direct-to-consumer, or sending animals to the auction, this financial analysis process and tool doesn’t have to be confusing and can be put to work for you.
Beef Quality Assurance – Why Now? – Lynn Bliven, Ag & Natural Resources Issue Leader, Cornell Cooperative Extension Allegany County. BQA does more than just help beef and dairy producers capture more value from their cattle: BQA also reflects a positive public image and instills consumer confidence in the beef industry. When producers implement the best management practices of a BQA program, they assure their market steers, heifers, cows, and bulls are the best they can be. And today, the stakes are even higher because of increased public attention on animal welfare and environmental impacts from animal agriculture.
The Beef Producers Meeting is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Allegany County (CCE-Allegany). The association is part of the national cooperative extension system, an educational partnership between County, State, and Federal governments. As New York’s land grant university Cornell administers the system in this state. For more information, call 525-268-7644 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/allegany. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension Allegany County
