With the theme, “Get on Board, Navigate Your Future,” the summit will include informative, educational presentations, small group discussions, audience participation and, of course, entertainment and fun. The day-and-a-half conference program will include some of the most influential speakers in the beef industry.

The event will be hosted at Missouri State University’s Darr Agricultural Center/Bond Learning Center in Springfield.

Kevin Ochsner, agribusiness consultant and host of National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) “Cattlemen to Cattlemen,” will facilitate the program. Other industry leaders will discuss the basics of consumer demand, what is driving beef industry economics, how Herefords fit in the commercial industry today and the role of a seedstock producer.

The program will be both thought provoking and challenging as breeders and association staff plan for the future of the Hereford breed. The event will also include time for some fun and social interaction with a “Hereford tailgate party” Thursday night and an evening on Table Rock Lake aboard the Showboat Branson Belle on Friday evening.

A Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) culinary class will be offered as a program option on Friday morning. The class will feature Flavio Ribeiro, Brazilian meat scientist, along with Andrew Brooks, CHB LLC director of marketing, sharing some CHB cooking and food preparation tips along with wine pairing.

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A highlight Friday evening on the Showboat Branson Belle will be an auction benefiting the Hereford Research Foundation (HRF). A variety of unique items and opportunities will be up for bid.

Visit the Hereford Genetic Summit website for more information and to register. Early-bird registration is available until July 15. Until then, individuals can save $50 and register for $150 and couples pay $200. From July 15 to August 11, single registration will be $200 and $300 for couples. After August 11, including at the door, registration fees will be $250 for a single individual and $350 for a couple. Hotel and airport information is also available on the website.  end mark

Schedule:

Thursday, September 4

1:30-3 p.m.
Registration, Darr Center

3 p.m.
“Charting Our Course”

  • Craig Huffhines, AHA executive vice president
  • Jack Ward, AHA chief operating officer and breed improvement director

4:30 p.m.
“Yesterday’s Lessons, Today’s Decisions, Tomorrow’s Opportunities”

  • Kevin Ochsner, agribusiness consultant and host of NCBA’s “Cattlemen to Cattlemen”

6 p.m.
Hereford Tailgate Party and Taste of Missouri

  • Sponsored by Ram Trucks, Biozyme Inc. and Springfield Grocer Co. Inc.

Friday, September 5
Breakfast buffet available at hotel

8:00 a.m.
Buses leave hotel

8:30 a.m.
“Navigating Our Future”

  • Kevin Ochsner

8:45 a.m.
“Understanding the Consumer”

  • John Lundeen, NCBA senior executive director of market research
  • Joe Pawlak, Technomic vice president

10 a.m.
Break

10 a.m.
CHB Culinary Class

10:20 a.m.
“Economic Drivers of the Beef Industry”

  • Randy Blach, CattleFax CEO
  • Dr. G. Kee Jim, Feedlot Health Management Services Ltd. CEO and managing director

11:30 a.m.
Lunch buffet

12:30 p.m.
“The Value of Hereford Genetics in the Commercial Industry”

  • Lorna Marshall, Genex Cooperative U.S. beef marketing manager
  • Dr. Randall Raymond, Simplot Livestock Co. director of research and veterinary services

1:45 p.m.
“Your Responsibility as a Seedstock Producer”

  • Galen Fink, Fink Beef Genetics, Randolph, Kansas
  • Don Schiefelbein, Schiefelbein Farms LLC, Kimball, Minnesota

3 p.m.
Break

3:20 p.m.
“Get on Board”

  • Kevin Ochsner

4:15 p.m.
Buses to hotel

5:30 p.m.
Load buses at hotel for Showboat Branson Belle

7-11 p.m.
Evening aboard Showboat Branson Belle

—From the American Hereford Association press release