Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays is continuing his conversation with Andy Holloway about the 10th Annual Texas A&M AgriLife Hemphill County Beef Conference, which will be held on April 29-30 at the Jones Pavilion in Canadian, Texas. Click here to hear and read the first part of their discussion.
After last year’s event attracted more than 800 cattlemen and women from 26 states, Holloway, the Texas AgriLife Extension Agent who began the event in 2015, expects another great turnout at the 2025 event.
“Happy Days Are Here Again” is the theme of the event, mirroring the time when President Franklin D. Roosevelt used it as his campaign slogan after the Great Depression and then again after World War II because it truly was happier days for the nation.
“That is exactly the analogy that we want to set forth in this conference, because we have has a lot of tough years in the beef cattle business, but now, we have record beef cattle prices, historic profits from the cow calf segment, and even the feedyards are making big bucks on cattle that are being killed,” Holloway said.
A major draw to the event is the world-class lineup of speakers. This year, as has become tradition, Cattlefax’s Troy Applehans will kick off the presentations. Matt Makens, Colorado’s Climatic Scientist and Meteorologist, will provide the likelihood of remaining in a La Niña or a return of El Niño weather systems. A new speaker to the event will be Collin Woodall of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association will discuss “The Future of Beef Cattle Production in the USA on the Heels of the Green New Deal.”
“It just pleases me so much to have the CEO of NCBA as one of our big speakers this year,” Holloway said. “Collin asked me if he could come and make a presentation, and I was so delighted to have him as a special guest and speaker.”
Holloway mentioned a “real interesting panel,” which will be moderated by Ben Weinheimer, CEO of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association. Robby Kirkland, Kirkland Feedyard Vega, Texas & TCFA Chairman, and his wife, Amy Kirkland, Director of Texas Beef Council, Colin Woodall, of NCBA, and John Stika, Certified Angus Beef President, will all be included on the panel.
“Then, on Wednesday, April 30, we have probably the strongest second-day lineup we’ve ever had in the history of our conference,” Holloway touted.
Dr. Randall Spare from the Ashland, Kansas Veterinary Clinic, has changed the genomics of his region by emphasizing artificial insemination in local commercial cowherds. His presentation is aptly titled “The Value of Artificial Insemination to a Commercial Cowherd.”
Dr. Morgan Treadwell, Texas A&M AgriLife Range Specialist, is to present on “Understanding the 2024 Wildfire Energy Impact & Forage Trajectory.”
“She is going to talk about some new technology that NASA has brought,” Holloway shared. “We always have a powerful keynote speaker, and we may have a surprise visitor that I can’t announce yet. I hope I can announce it in another week or two.”
From Wooster, Ohio, Dan Owolabi will present the keynote address, and Holloway says that the inspiration projected from his speeches is second to none. “I guarantee you that you may not know his name today or are drawn to the conference because of his name, but when you hear him and you leave the conference, you’ll never forget the experience you had from Dan’s presentation,” Holloway hyped. “We’ve got a powerful lineup. We’ve got ranchers on panels; we’ve got some breakout sessions that are going on, so it’s going to be a terrific time to come and learn.”
A Texas Barbeque lunch will be served on Tuesday, April 29, and Certified Angus Beef Prime Rib will be served for dinner that evening. Wednesday’s lunch will be CAB Kansas City strip steaks right off the grill.
“People always enjoy the food that we serve, and we try to roll out the red carpet for every person right here in Hemphill County in Canadian, Texas,” Holloway stated.
More information, the agenda, and tickets to attend can be found at hemphillcotxbeef.com.
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.
