A series of special cattle industry events are designed for anyone who trades feeder cattle, fed cattle and non-fed beef animals – as well as ranchers, cattle feeders and ag lenders.

The Cattle Buyers Summits, which are planned for May 15 in Billings, MT; May 22 in Chattanooga, TN; and July 11 in Kearney, NE; are free but an RSVP is required. Contact Mo Harbac at 406-994-4323 or mharbac@montana.edu. For more info, visit www.mtbqa.org

Clint Peck, Montana director of Beef Quality Assurance (BQA), says the events are designed to introduce new initiatives of BQA programming to an audience across the region.

“These programs are intended for anyone,” he says. “Cattle buyers are a very important segment of our industry and it’s our responsibility to keep them in the loop as to what we’re doing in BQA programming.” He adds that cattle buyers from across the country are being sent special invitations to attend the summits.

The summits will include “Round Table” breakout sessions to allow participants to assess BQA programming and provide input into initializing BQA to better fit the needs of the industry’s cattle marketing segment. Among the speakers are:

• Jim Warren, 101 Livestock, Aromas, CA.
  
• Emmitt Rawls, University of Tennessee.
  
• Kristen Larson, Prewitt & Co., Sidney, MT.
  
• Gary Smith, Colorado State University.
  
• Jim Robb, Livestock Marketing Info Center, Lakewood, CO.
  
• Andy Kellom, Verified Beef, Bozeman, MT.
  
• John Paterson, Montana State University.
  
• Eric Moore, DVM, Schering-Plough Animal Health.

BQA is a producer-led concept to address pre-harvest production practices that increase beef demand and improve consumer confidence in the beef industry. Similar programs are being held this spring and summer in selected locations around the U.S. Schering-Plough Animal Health is the marquee sponsor of the summits.