Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is talking with the executive vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Michael Kelsey, about the upcoming Annual OCA Convention and Trade Show.
The OCA’s 71st Annual Convention and Trade Show will be held on July 21st and 22nd in Norman, Oklahoma at the Embassy Suites Convention Center. The theme of this year’s convention, Kelsey said, is “Past Preserved Present Prepared,” so the educational sessions featuring a variety of speakers will follow the same concept.
Donnell Brown of the R.A. Brown Ranch in Throckmorton, Texas will be the keynote speaker of the event, Kelsey said, talking about balancing production, survival, sustainability, and joy.
“We have got six educational sessions that are going to be powerful in addition to the learning lounges,” Kelsey said. “The trade show will be set up and we have got a lot of different awards that we will be presenting both on our banquet Saturday night as well as the juniors will be presenting some awards. Lots of scholarships.”
Also at the event, Kelsey said the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry will be having an open board meeting after lunch on Friday.
“It will be an official board meeting of the Department of Agriculture, the board, of course they will conduct their business, and it is just something for our membership and convention attendees to see,” Kelsey said.
In between speakers and sessions, Kelsey said the agenda has accounted for the amount of time attendees will be visiting and networking in the hallways.
“There is no telling how many dollars of commerce is conducted in the hallways of conventions like this where cattle producers get together, and they start talking about their needs, their businesses, and discover that they have an opportunity to conduct business with somebody there, whether it be feedstuffs, obviously cattle, might be services, and all types of things,” Kelsey said. “Those networking opportunities afford that.”
The closing speaker, Matt Makens of Makens Weather, will talk about the impact El Niño will bring through 2023 and 2024.
“Matt is really easy to follow,” Kelsey said. “What he says makes sense. He gives incredibly good foundations and data to support what he says.”
To see the full agenda for this year’s OCA Convention and Trade Show, click here.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
