Cattle Raisers to meet in Marfa September 12-14

Beef producers will delve into the details of several current issues during the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association's fall meeting September 12-14 in Marfa, TX.

First on the agenda will be the policy relative to recommendations of the Beef Checkoff Study Group. Bill Brandenberg, National Cattlemen's Beef Association member from El Centro, CA, who chaired the study group, will discuss the findings during the general session on Friday morning, September 14, 2007.

The study group was formed to examine a 2006 proposal by the Industrywide Checkoff Task Force to increase the $1-per-head beef checkoff. Group members have considered the potential benefits of a checkoff increase, looked at additional ways the checkoff can benefit producers and identified critical success factors that need to be addressed to achieve a checkoff increase.Read more on the TSCRA Web site.

Hurricane Preparedness for Livestock

Livestock owners should "hurricane-ize" their livestock each year, Texas Cooperative Extension officials advise.

"With the right preparation, you can protect livestock from injury should a hurricane occur," said Dr. Joe Paschal, extension beef cattle specialist in Corpus Christi, TX.

"Most damage to buildings, pens and animals comes from wind and flying objects," Paschal said. "So the ability to protect them in advance from these dangers greatly reduces the chance of injury to livestock."

Begin preparations by making sure the livestock are current on their vaccinations, he said. Stockpile feed, hay and water in case these items are not available after a hurricane, have enough feed on hand for at least a week, and the same amount of water – up to 150 gallons per horse or bovine. Feed should be dry and free from mold or moisture.

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