The college takes place Jan. 26-27 and includes a full schedule of stimulating and thought-provoking sessions that can help generate high returns for your operation.

Participants must be registered for Cattlemen’s College to attend. Prices include Tuesday sessions and reception, Wednesday sessions and lunch. To attend Cattlemen’s College, you must also purchase a full registration or one-day Wednesday registration.

Cattlemen’s general session

Dr. Robert Fraley, executive vice president and chief technology officer of Monsanto, will speak on challenges the industry faces to meet increased food demand with less land, less water and global warming.

Breakout sessions

Antibiotic Stewardship in Animal Agriculture
Brian Lubbers, Ph.D.
Director, Clinical Microbiology and Microbial Surveillance Labs, Kansas State University

This presentation will discuss the implementation of antibiotic stewardship on the farm as well as the factors impacting antibiotic use in agriculture.

Supplementing Trace Minerals to Beef Cows
Reinaldo Cooke, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Beef Cattle Specialist, Oregon State University

Eric Scholljegerdes, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Animal Science, New Mexico State University

How supplementing trace minerals to beef cows during the last trimester of gestation is essential to optimize calf crop productivity and economic returns to cow-calf systems, particularly when an organic source of trace minerals is used.

Ranching Under a Microscope – Western Focus
NCBA Washington, D.C. staff

Red tape and regulations are in abundance these days and often threaten the livelihood of ranching operations – especially in the West. This session will take a closer look at our federal agencies and some of the most significant regulatory issues facing the ranching industry today.

Human Resource Management on the Ranch
Texas A&M – King Ranch
Texas A&M University – Kingsville

Managing a ranch or feedlot means not only managing the land, livestock and natural resources but the human resources as well. In fact, knowledge of employee management is as important for the success of a ranch as understanding cattle markets and production.

Whether you have a hundred full-time employees or simply hire day help, there are several important things to consider when managing this critical ranch asset, which this session will explore.

Why Does Sustainability Matter? What are We Looking For? – An End User’s Perspective
U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef Leadership

Learn about customer expectations related to sustainability from beef retail and food service partners and why it is important to the beef value chain and your individual business. The panel will discuss successes, challenges and opportunities related to beef sustainability and answer your individual questions.

Finding a Way Back to the Ranch
Matt Byrne
SunFed Ranch, Woodland, California

Sometimes the road back to the cattle business and the family ranch isn’t a straight one. California rancher and businessman Matt Byrne discusses his detours that provided benefits networking with cattlemen from around the country and research of different business models and practices, before finally deciding that where it started is pretty close to where he wants to be.

Improving Animal Welfare
W. Mark Hilton, DVM Clinical Professor, Food Animal Production Medicine,
Purdue University

Learn how to produce the healthiest calves that perform profitably for you and for the feedlot owner, with information on how nutrition, environment, genetics and vaccinations work together to produce calves that buyers will be lining up to purchase.

Importance of Protein
Clay Mathis, Ph.D.
Director, King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management

Jason Sawyer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor,
Texas A&M University

In this session, the presenters will boil down ruminant nutrition into a few practical principles to aid cattlemen in deciding the best way to feed grazing cows in their operation.

Adding Value and Opportunity
Jerry Wulf, John Schroeder

Sharing real-world examples to create opportunity, two of the leading outfits in the industry will help you think outside the box to achieve success. Be prepared to ask questions and add your own insights during this interactive session.

GMO Use In Animal Agriculture
Alison Van Eenennaam, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist in Animal Genomics and Biotechnology, University of California – Davis

Recent developments have opened up new possibilities to incorporate a variety of genomic technologies into livestock breeding programs, and collectively they offer a powerful approach to accelerate real genetic change in our food animals.

Your Resumé May Get You in the Door …
Mike Moseley, DVM
Director of Global Development and Operations, Zoetis

Employers today, whether in agriculture or not, want employees who are versatile, well-rounded, ethically strong and can think on their feet. Based on years of experience and training, Mike Moseley will share his unique insights on a pathway to life and career success.

Managing High-Risk Cattle
Stocker Producer Panel

One of the most stressful periods in the life of a beef animal is during the weaning, transport and marketing phase between the cow-calf operation and the feedyard. The session will address real-world management strategies for high-risk cattle from a panel of cattlemen representing a variety of production systems.

The Reproduction and Nutrition Connection
Cliff Lamb, Ph.D.
Professor and Assistant Director, North Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida

Every producer experiences different challenges in an effort to optimize profitability of their herds – yet without a full appreciation of the delicate balance between nutrition and reproduction, many operations fail to achieve optimal production from their cows. This session will provide science-based data to demonstrate the impact of nutrition on reproduction.

What is ‘Sustainable Beef’?
Cameron Bruett
Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, JBS USA

Is the current sustainability movement improving or diminishing our ability to provide safe, affordable and nutritious food to the world? The challenge of providing sustainability in a responsible manner that balances economic, societal and environmental considerations while also addressing the interests of consumers and other interested stakeholders will be addressed in this session.

Economics of Alternative
Cow-Calf Production Systems
Rick Rasby, Ph.D.
Professor, Animal Science, University of Nebraska – Lincoln

Recent high corn prices have resulted in a decline in pastures used to grow forages for beef cattle. Because there is a keen interest in expanding the cow herd nationally, alternative production systems are being investigated. One of the systems is confinement, or drylot, feeding.

Modern Ag in a Facebook Culture
Gary Sides, Ph.D.
Zoetis

Are you aware that new scientific summaries show salt consumption has no effect on blood pressure? Can you defend and promote beef consumption and technologies we currently use to efficiently, safely and humanely produce beef? If not, this session might be just what you’re looking for. Government, environmental and cultural issues that affect beef consumption and the cattle industry will also be discussed.

Navigating Washington, D.C.: Lobbying, Congress and Federal Agencies
NCBA Washington, D.C. staff

This session will focus on the day-to-day work of NCBA’s D.C. staff, and will highlight what you need to know to maximize your effectiveness in lobbying Capitol Hill.