Trade Show
Visit the NCBA Solutions Center Trade Show hall and learn more about the latest products, services and newest technology for beef production. Trade show exhibit hours start Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m., and continue Thursday and Friday, and features hundreds of booths. Additional reception events are held during the trade shows as well, with live entertainment, food and dining, demonstrations in the Cattle Learning Demonstration Center, and other hospitality booths.

For a complete list of exhibitors planning to attend the trade show, visit www.beefusa.org.

Cattlemen’s College

The 18^th Annual Cattlemen’s College provides producers the most current information for modern and profitable industry production, and networking with fellow cattlemen. Sessions will include:

• Fundamentals of genetics and DNA: Overview of genetic evaluation and progress, and review of genetic principles, introduction of the functional use of genomics.
• Starting an AI Program: Things to know and do before starting a synchronization program, reasonable expectations and basic implementation.
• Preventing Lameness: The impact of lameness on animal performance and profitability, the use of lameness scoring criteria to help diagnose and treat feet and leg problems.
• Business strategies: Making decisions about herd expansion, incorporating new members of the family into the business, and assessing opportunities. Examining key decision influencers for effective business strategy.
• Managing for quality: How decisions made early in an animal’s life and in ensuing years may impact the final value of beef products. Effective strategies that reduce quality defects and boost value of the beef industry.
• Environmental issues: The latest issues confronting the beef industry and potential regulations that could affect your business.
• Managing market risk: How economic uncertainty creates fluctuation in beef prices and cattle inputs. How to learn strategies to handle those risks.
• Financing in the age of uncertainty: Improve the communication process with lenders and understanding new federal mandates on banking industry.
• Antimicrobials in the industry: Learn the facts about antimicrobial use in the U.S., the risk of microbial resistance and the impact of antibiotic bans on production systems around the world.

CattleFax Annual Outlook Seminar
Friday, Feb. 4

Learn more about the factors that made 2010 a year to remember in the beef industry and which trends are likely to continue and change for 2011. Important topics to be discussed include factors for supply and demand, price outlooks, ethanol prices and grain production, industry contraction and consolidation, global beef markets and government regulations.

General Session presentations
Wed., Feb 2

Featured speaker will be Richard Picciotto, the highest-ranking firefighter to survive the attacks on the World Trade Center. Picciotto was one of the last remaining firemen to rescue workers, and was buried for more than four hours after the North Tower’s collapse.

Thurs. Feb. 3

Featured speaker will be Karl Rove, former senior adviser to President George W. Bush and deputy chief of staff. Rove will discuss the biggest challenges facing the Obama administration and both political parties in 2011 and looking ahead to 2012.

To register and learn more about the NCBA events go to www.BeefUSA.org or see the full schedule of events at http://bit.ly/hm6Q8T.