The 59th Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course scheduled Aug. 5-7 at Texas A&M University in College Station will provide participants an inside look to the future of the industry as well as a snapshot of potential cattle market trends, course coordinators said.

“Our U.S. cattle inventory is at levels not seen since the 1950s and we have several topics during the Aug. 5 general session that addresses trends and issues such as market outlook and infrastructure changes,” said Dr. Jason Cleere, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist in College Station and conference coordinator.

The 59th Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course scheduled Aug. 5-7 at Texas A&M University in College Station will provide participants an inside look to the future of the industry as well as a snapshot of potential cattle market trends. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Blair Fannin)

Don Close, vice president for food and agriculture research with Rabobank, will be one of the keynote speakers during the afternoon general session Aug. 5.

“Close will give an overview of the beef cattle inventory in the U.S. and provide some analysis on beef exports, and how these factors will affect the overall market,” Cleere said.

Also to be discussed during the general session will be a cattle market outlook, how the cattle industry will look over the next 10 years, and infrastructure changes that have occurred and may occur because of reduced cow numbers.

Brian Bledsoe, who provides weather forecasts and commentary for the Southern Livestock Standard, will provide a weather outlook during the Aug. 5 general session. Bruce Vincent, a logger and motivational speaker from Libby, Mont., will present “With Vision, There Is Hope for Ranchers.”

The short course has become one of the largest and most comprehensive beef cattle educational programs in the U.S., Cleere noted.

The cattleman’s college portion provides participants with an opportunity to choose workshops based on their level of production experience and the needs of their ranch, Cleere said.

“These concurrent workshops will feature information on introductory cattle production, retiring to ranching, management practices in the areas of forage, nutrition and reproduction, record keeping, genetics, purebred cattle, landowner issues and much more,” he said.

In addition to classroom instruction, participants can attend one of the popular demonstrations on the morning of Aug. 7.