Saturday, March 23 • 2-3 p.m. Cliffhanger — What the Next Fiscal Cliff and Latest Government Actions Mean for Landowners Hosted by the Legislative and Tax and Labor Committees Uncertainty seems to permeate our federal and state governments. Come to this session for a discussion of the following timely questions, and others, with special guests: – What does the fiscal cliff mean to ranchers/ landowners? – What does the Farm Bill have in store for landowners? – What will happen on federal immigration proposals? – How is the Texas legislative session progressing?
Fire and Water — Prepare for One, Plan for the Other or Both? Hosted by the Natural Resources and Environment Committee Texas’ statewide water plan continues to elude funding. Learn about the progress being made on implementing a plan to address water needs by an increasing popu- lation. Also, Tom Boggus, state forester and director of the Texas A&M Forest Service, will update cattle raisers on state wildfi re activities.
Making a Difference for Producers Through Science and Technology Hosted by the Agricultural Research Committee This presentation will focus on how the Noble Foun- dation is leveraging technologies such as GrowSafe systems, GPS, large-scale aerial photography and pro- totype forage mass measurement equipment to learn more about individual animal intake, effi ciency and performance parameters, particularly on forage-based production systems relevant to producers in the South- ern Plains.
Prevent If You Can, Treat If You Must Hosted by the Agricultural Research and Animal Health Committees Anaplasmosis is an infectious disease of cattle that destroys red blood cells and drains income potential
28 The Cattleman March 2013 Tom Boggus Tom Hairgrove Dr. Dee Ellis
from your ranching operation. Tom Hairgrove, DVM, DABVP, College Station, coordinator for livestock and food animal systems for Texas AgriLife Extension Service, will update producers on the prevalence of this disease.
Sunday, March 24 • 8:15-9:45 a.m. Texas and U.S. Animal ID Rules — Compare and Contrast: Why Are They Different? Hosted by the Animal Health Committee USDA Texas area veterinarian Dr. Kevin Varner and Texas State Veterinarian Dr. Dee Ellis will compare and contrast the animal disease traceability rules established by USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission. There are some differences between the 2 sets of regu- lations that will affect Texas and Oklahoma ranchers.
The Oil and Gas Industry in Texas — The Need to Strike the Right Balance Hosted by the Natural Resources and Environment and Legislative and Tax Committees Come hear from Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman why the oil and gas industry in Texas is strong and get important updates on surface and eminent domain use from South Texas attorney Trace Burton. Also get helpful conservation and best management practice ideas from Dr. Fred Bryant of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute.
Better Technology Tools for Brand Inspection at Texas Markets Hosted by the Brand and Inspection Committee TSCRA market inspectors will view, inspect, and re- cord markings on 3.5 to 5 million head annually. The Market Inspection Technology Task Force was charged with evaluating potential technologies to assist the in- spectors with this process. Come hear the task force’s fi nal report to the committee and hear from industry experts on efforts to improve this critical law enforce- ment function.