The 2005 Texas A&M University Beef Cattle Short Course concluded Wednesday. Any comments about the blog entries and material from the Beef Short Course can be directed to b-fannin@tamu.edu.
-BLAIR FANNIN
b-fannin@tamu.edu
Recently in 2005 Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course Category
Dr. Ron Gill, Extension beef cattle specialist, moderated this morning's beef cattle health workshop.
Gill stressed biosecurity has always been an issue. He urged ranchers to be vigilant in preventing disease from spreading through an operation after purchasing cattle.
"Normally if you get (a disease) introduced (in a herd), you have to deal with it from then on," he said.
Gill said it's critical ranchers quarantine recently purchased cattle until they clear health tests.
"It's just a common sense thing to do," he said.
A quarantine of 21 to 30 days will allow enough time "to make sure you've done all tests on them and make sure everything is all right."
-BLAIR FANNIN
b-fannin@tamu.edu
About half of the approximately 1,400 people attending this year's short course have attended before, said Dr. Larry Boleman, assistant vice chancellor at Texas A&M University and conference coordinator.
About 1 percent to 2 percent of the total travel to the short course from other countries, and 3 percent to 4 percent come from other states.
Only 10 percent of the attendees make their living solely from livestock, he said. The conference also brings in people who make their living as engineers and physicians - among other occupations - who raise cattle as a sideline.
One of the best parts of the short course is the trade show, he said, and this year's short course has 104 exhibitors on the inside of Rudder Tower and 10 exhibiting equipment, pens, and livestock outside.
The educational experience the participants have goes a long way, Boleman said. The attendees will go home and tell their neighbors about what they learned.
"They're considered leaders in their neighborhoods," he said.
And the Beef Cattle Short Course is the largest of its kind in the nation, he added.
-EDITH CHENAULT
e-chenault1@tamu.edu
