PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University’s 1999 Beef Information Days are scheduled April 15-16 at the Quality Inn Paradise Creek Conference Center in Pullman.
Gary C. Smith, the Monfort Endowed Chair in Meat Science at Colorado State University, will keynote the event Thursday evening with a presentation on the current status and future of the beef industry.
Smith is internationally recognized as an innovative researcher, educator and a motivational speaker, according to Randel Baldree, WSU Whitman County Cooperative Extension faculty. While here, Smith will receive this year’s Distinguished Graduate Award from WSU’s animal sciences department.
- “Obstacles to Beef Industry Profitability and Progress and a Few Solutions,” W. Doug Warnock, consultant and retired WSU county cooperative extension faculty.
- “Contributions of the Beef Checkoff to the Beef Industry: Past, Present and Future,” Steve Hailey, chairman of the National Beef Board.
- “Thinking Outside the Box Success Stories,” Don Nelson, WSU Cooperative Extension Beef Specialist and several producers.
- “Marketing Opportunities: Merchandising Outside the Box,” Patty Brumbach, executive director of the Washington State Beef Commission and four other speakers.
- “New Technologies for Precision Selection, Management and Marketing of Beef,” Gary Smith.
- “Is Corn-fed Beef Really Better?” Mark Nelson and Jan Busboom, WSU animal sciences faculty.
- “The Making of Value-Added Restructured Steaks: Are parts, parts?” Jody Nordyke, research assistant, WSU animal sciences department.
- “Contributions of Land-Grant Universities to the Livestock Industry: Past, Present and Future,” Michael Tate, associate dean of the WSU College of Agriculture and Home Economics and associate director of Cooperative Extension.
- “Pre-Harvest Food Safety: Can you Help Prevent E. coli Outbreaks?”, Dale Hancock, associate professor of the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine.
All seminars will be held at the Quality Inn. Registration begins at 6:30 p.m on April 15 with the first presentation scheduled at 7 p.m.
Optional tours of WSU’s Cattle Feeding Laboratory, Feed Mill, Meat Laboratory or the Beef Center will be offered. You will need to provide your own transportation.
Full registration is $41 per person for adults registering by April 5. Registration includes the seminars, conference reports and handouts, Thursday night ice cream social, lunch on the second day and all breaks.
Partial adult registration including everything but the conference reports and handouts is $35 for early registrants. Add $10 more for registrations made after that date. A free student registration includes the seminar and breaks only.
The Beef Information Days reports and handouts can be purchased separately for $6.
Contact Ann Brelsford at (509) 335-2921 for registration information. Contact Jan Busboom at (509) 335-2880 or busboom@wsu.edu for more information about the program. The Quality Inn has set aside rooms for the conference. Make reservations by April 1 to receive a reduced rate. Call (509) 332-0500 and ask for the Beef Information Day rate.
Beef Information Days is expected to attract producers, cattle feeders, ag instructors, 4-H leaders and extension educators.
The event is sponsored by the WSU animal sciences department, Washington State University Cooperative Extension and the Washington Cattlemen’s Association.
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