The U.S. beef cattle industry continues to improve efficiencies and enhance production, which results in a more sustainable product for consumers.
To support producer education, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation will host its sixth annual Texoma Cattlemen’s Conference, the premier beef conference in the Southern Great Plains. Entitled The Future of Sustainable Beef, the conference will take place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 24, at the Ardmore Convention Center.
This year’s conference will showcase the efforts of several participating U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) member entities, including the Noble Foundation. The USRSB is a national effort to help make the entire U.S. beef value chain more sustainable.
“Consumers are becoming more engaged in the sustainably sourced food discussion and producers’ profit margins are becoming thinner,” said Hugh Aljoe, producer relations manager. “It is critical for producers to maintain awareness of the emerging technologies and management practices that have greatest potential to enhance efficiencies in their operations. They must also be more aware of the marketability of the beef they produce then strive to adopt practices and processes that are most practical.”
Speakers include:
- Townsend Bailey, McDonald’s director of supply chain sustainability: The Future of Sustainable Beef and Sustainable Beef Value Chain panel
- John Butler, Beef Marketing Group chief executive officer: The Future of Sustainable Beef and Sustainable Beef Value Chain panel
- Billy Cook, Ph.D., Noble Foundation senior vice president and Agricultural Division director: Sustainable Beef Value Chain panel
- Leigh Ann Johnston, Tyson Foods director of sustainability: Sustainable Beef Value Chain panel
- David Orme, Integrity Beef Alliance president: Sustainable Beef Value Chain panel
- Derrell Peel, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension livestock marketing specialist: Cattle Market Outlook
- Noble Foundation Agricultural Division researchers
- Ron Hays, Oklahoma Farm Report, moderator
“Operational sustainability results from strategically applying technologies and practices to the land and cattle,” Aljoe said. “The challenge is identifying which of these are most applicable then incorporating them into a management plan. This conference will help producers understand this critical process.”
Registration and trade show open at 8 a.m. Registration is $40 and includes lunch. For more information or to preregister, please visit www.noble.org/agevents or contact Danielle Pacifico at 580-224-6376.
