Julie Laird/realagstock.
The second annual Herd That! Conference, presented by the Nebraska Women in Agriculture program and the Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance program, has added a ranch transition workshop and opportunities for veterinary professionals to earn continuing education credits during the event, to be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 21 in Broken Bow.
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, one day prior to the conference, 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 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.
Led by Dr. Ron Gill, of Texas A&M University stockman, and Dr. Ruth Woiwode, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln animal behavior specialist, the cattle handling demonstration will be one of the highlights of the conference. Participants will learn about the importance and ease of low-stress cattle handling and facility design.
Conference sessions, held at the One Box Convention Center, 2750 S. 27th Ave., will bring a variety of speakers and topics for attendees to learn from. Participants will learn from industry experts as well as Nebraska Extension professionals. Topics will include market outlooks, livestock Insurance, veterinarian practices and more. Keynote speakers will be Courtenay DeHoff, founder of Fancy Lady Cowgirl, and ShayLe Stewart, a livestock analyst with DTN.
The cost to attend the conference 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.