MARIANNA, Fla. — Cattle ranchers, employees, and family members from the tri-state region (FL, AL, GA) are invited to attend the 37th annual Northwest Florida Beef Cattle Conference and Trade Show. This event will be held in-person this year on Wednesday, February 9, 2022, at the Jackson County Extension Office Auditorium, located at 2741 Penn Avenue, Marianna, Florida. Registration and the Trade Show open at 7:30 AM central time, the program starts at 8:15 AM, and concludes with a grilled steak lunch. This sponsored educational event is provided at no cost to cattle ranchers, but pre-registration is requested to reduce registration time at the event and to aid in meal preparation. Online registration link – https://2022nwflbeefconference.eventbrite.com (select cattle rancher tickets for free registration).
Cattle prices have been slowly increasing with the diminishing US cattle inventory; however, the price increase has not kept pace with the rapidly rising costs of purchased inputs, such as feed, fertilizer, fuel, and equipment. While most cattle producers are focused on keeping their off-farm purchase costs low, inflation will make this very challenging in the year ahead. There are consequences, however, to drastically cutting back if it affects long-term herd and pasture performance. The theme of the 2022 Beef Cattle Conference is “Managing Costs without Sacrificing Productivity.” The keynote speaker, Johnny Rogers, Cattle Extension Associate, North Carolina State University, will share recommendations and ideas to help ranchers improve efficiency in their herd management to maintain profitability. Other presentation topics will be provided by UF/IFAS Extension experts and will include foundational herd management, developing a 2022 strategic plan, optimizing fertilizer investment, and managing supplemental feed costs. These five presentations will not provide all the answers to the challenges to be faced in 2022, but they will help producers develop their own strategic plan for their operations.
In addition to the educational program, the conference will also feature a Trade Show of businesses and agencies that offer goods and services to cattle producers in the region. The representatives in attendance are trained professionals in specific areas of cattle, forage, and farm management. The schedule has been set up to allow ranchers to visit with the company representatives in the Trade Show and learn about specific products and services available for beef cattle producers in the region.
If you are interested in participating in the Trade Show, use the following link for more information: 2022 NW FL Beef Conf Trade Show Exhibitor Info. If you decide to participate as an exhibitor, register for your organization through the Eventbrite registration site: https://2022nwflbeefconference.eventbrite.com and select the Trade Show Exhibitor ticket.
The Northwest Florida Beef Conference and Trade Show is an educational program provided by the UF/IFAS Panhandle Agriculture Extension Team. For more information on the Beef Conference, contact Doug Mayo, at 850-482-9620, or demayo@ufl.edu.
–Doug Mayo, UF/IFAS
