The Shadow
BLACKSBURG — The Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and Virginia Cooperative Extension are hosting the Virginia Tech Beef Cattle Health Conference on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The program is designed to give beef cattle producers an opportunity to learn strategies to improve the health of their herds.
The conference will take place on the veterinary college’s Blacksburg campus, located at 245 Duck Pond Drive.
The morning program will include presentations from faculty members in the veterinary college’s Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences.
The topics are:
•What can we afford to do with the current price of calves and feed?
•Current issues with cattle poisons.
•Tweaking your handling facilities.
•The cost to create a pregnancy: Artificial insemination and natural service.
•Stretching hay.
•Water-related cattle disease.
•Current health issues.
The afternoon will feature rotating, 30-minute labs at Virginia Tech’s Alphin-Stuart Livestock Arena.
Afternoon workshops topics are:
•What happens in a rumen?
•Current cost of energy and protein: What feeds are deals?
•Warming a cold calf.
•Body condition scoring.
Attendance will meet the requirement for beef quality assurance recertification for those already certified in the Virginia Beef Quality Assurance program.
Registration is $5 per person and free for anyone under 18. This includes lectures, laboratories, proceedings and lunch. Registration will be in the college commons areas. Ample parking will be available in front of the veterinary college complex.
To register or learn more about the program, please contact Ralph Roop, production management medicine technician, by calling 540-231-9041.
