CONTACT:   Melissa Slagle  303-867-6306  mslagle@beefboard.org

CATTLE BUYERS’ SUMMITS SET FOR MONTANA, TENNESSEE AND NEBRASKA

(CENTENNIAL, Colo.) – Designed for anyone who markets cattle, Cattle Buyers’ Summits will be held May 15 in Billings, Mont.; May 22 in Chattanooga, Tenn.; and August 1 in Kearney, Neb.

“These programs are intended for anyone who trades feeder cattle, fed cattle and market cows and bulls,” says Clint Peck, director of the Montana Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. “Cattle buyers are a very important segment of our industry and it’s our responsibility to keep them in the loop about what we’re doing in BQA programming.”

A portion of each summit includes a roundtable breakout session to allow participants to better understand the BQA program and offer suggestions about how to make BQA better fit the needs of the industry’s cattle marketing segment.

As more feedyards, ranchers, truckers and others in the industry become BQA-certified and adhere to BQA principles and practices, Peck says it’s important that everyone in the beef production and marketing chain know what BQA is all about. Cattle buyers from across the country are being sent special invitations to attend the summits.

The list of speakers includes:  Jim Warren, 101 Livestock, Aromas, Calif.; Emmitt Rawls, University of Tennessee; Kristen Larson, Prewitt & Co., Sidney, Mont.; Gary Smith, Colorado State University; Jim Robb, Livestock Marketing Information Center, Lakewood, Colo.; Andy Kellom, Verified Beef, Bozeman, Mont.; John Paterson, Montana State University; and Eric Moore, DVM, Schering-Plough Animal Health.

BQA is funded in part by The Beef Checkoff to address pre-harvest production practices that help increase beef demand and improve consumer confidence in the beef industry. As a strong supporter of BQA, Schering-Plough Animal Health is a joint sponsor of the Cattle Buyers’ Summits.

There is no registration fee for the summit, but seating is limited. Anyone who wants to attend should RSVP to Mo Harbac, Montana Beef Network, P.O. Box 17922, Bozeman, MT 59717, call 406-994-4323 or email mharbac@montana.edu.

For more information go to www.mtbqa.org or visit www.beefboard.org.

The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.

#          #          #