Beef program set today

By Sam Waller

The second installment of the Big Country Beef Cattle Improvement Series will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 29 (today), at Double Deuces Event Venue in Clyde.

The topic for the program, hosted by the Callahan County extension service, is Stock Pond and Water Management.

“The main idea is how managing those water resources ties into a beef cattle operation,” Shackelford County extension agent Kelsey Bell said. “Obviously, in this area we’re prone to drought.”

Discussion topics include pond management, how to collect water samples for testing, and how to discover water wells in addition to well setups and piping. One continuing education credit is available.

“Water is crucial,” Bell said. “We can’t have livestock operations without a good water source. A lot of that is out of our control, but there are things we can do to manage the supply.”

Cost for the program is $20, which includes a meal. Double Deuces Event Venue is located at 8902 Callahan County Road 235.

The program follows the first of the series, which covered grazing practices.

“The first program and this one look at how to manage natural resources to better serve beef cattle operations and be good stewards and conservationists,” she said. “The third one in July will be on herd health and genetics. The last one in August is the Big Country Beef Conference in Abilene and will have various topics going on at the same time.”

Bell said tonight’s topic is timely in light of the recent heat wave.

“There has been a lot more evaporation,” she said. “The humidity helps, even as miserable as it makes things. Humidity in the air helps us retain some of the water we’ve caught with all these rains, but with the heat that high, we’re going to see more evaporation, and the livestock are going to drink a lot more.”

The date for the third part in the series has not been announced yet, but will be held at Horn Livestock in Jones County. The Big Country Beef Conference is scheduled for Aug. 24 at Taylor County Expo