The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program, along with the Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program, are excited to announce the second annual Herd That! Conference on Sept. 21, 2022, in Broken Bow, Nebraska with a pre-conference Sept. 20. The cattle handling demonstration will be one of the highlights of the program, along with the keynote speakers Courtenay Dehoff, #fancyladycowgirl, and ShayLe Stewart, DTN Livestock Analyst.

“We are thrilled to be bringing back the Herd That! Conference for women who raise livestock or work in the livestock sector,” said Jessica Groskopf, director of Nebraska Women in Agriculture. “Livestock production is vital to our state. This event will focus on giving women the knowledge, tools and skills they need to be successful in this facet of the agricultural industry. More importantly, it will provide participants the opportunity to expand their network.”

The preconference workshop offering tools and strategies to develop a transition plan for a farm or ranch operation will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 20, at the Custer County Fairgrounds, 44100 Memorial Drive. It will be presented by Allan Vyhnalek, a Nebraska Extension educator, and Pamela Epp Olsen, an attorney based in Scottsbluff. They will discuss best practices, common mistakes, essential considerations and more related to developing an effective transition or succession plan.

The conference will be held Sept. 21 beginning at 8 a.m. at the One Box Convention Center and the Custer County Fairgrounds.  The conference will bring a variety of speakers and topics for attendees to learn from. During the morning sessions at the One Box Convention Center, 2750 S. 27th St., participants will learn from industry experts as well as University of Nebraska Extension professionals. Topics will include market outlooks, livestock Insurance, veterinarian practices and more.

The conference will also offer Veterinary Medicine Continuing Education (CE) Credits to eligible participants, including any veterinarian or veterinary technician licensed in Nebraska. Conference sessions offering CE credits will include sessions on chute safety and veterinary emergencies, as well as the cattle handling demonstration.

The cattle handling demonstration, to be held Sept. 21 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Custer County fairgrounds. Dr. Ron Gill, a nationally renowned stockman from Texas A&M University, and Dr. Ruth Woiwode, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln animal behavior specialist, will finish off the conference with a live cattle handling demonstration. During this activity, participants will learn about the importance and ease of low stress cattle handling and facility design.

“The way we handle our animals is more important than ever to our industry. As caregivers, we need to be sure we are handling our animals in the lowest stress- environment possible”, said Jesse Fulton, director of Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance.

“Having Dr. Gill and Dr. Woiwode at this event is a unique chance for Nebraska producers to hear from industry leading experts on low stress cattle handling. Just because we are using cattle for the demonstration, doesn’t mean you can’t ask questions about other species. I hope every producer tries to join us for this exceptional opportunity”, said Fulton.

The cost to attend is $75 for participants who register on or before Sept. 5. Registration increases to $90 on Sept. 6. The cost to attend the preconference transition workshop is $20 per person. The cattle handling demonstration, to be held from 2 to 4 p.m. at the fairgrounds, is also open to anyone who is not attending the full conference, at a cost of $20.

The full agenda and registration for the event are available on the Nebraska Women in Agriculture website, https://wia.unl.edu.

This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2021-70027-34694.