Registration is now open for the K-State Ranching Summit. This first-time event is designed to equip managers with the skills to address the challenges of ranching in the business climate of today and tomorrow.
“Market forecasts point to declining revenues for cow-calf producers over the next several years. To ensure profitability, ranch managers will need to make a number of strategic management decisions.” says Dr. Bob Weaber, K-State cow-calf extension specialist. “The Ranching Summit was designed from the ground up to bolster the managerial knowledge and skills of beef producers.”
Hosted by the Kansas State University Animal Sciences and Industry Department and K-State Research and Extension, the event will be Friday, Oct. 7 in Manhattan, Kansas, at the K-State Student Union Grand Ballroom. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and the program starts at 10 a.m.
The Ranching Summit will include a wide range of topics important for beef producers to consider. These include defining the unit of profit in cow-calf operations, evaluating new and alternative grazing opportunities, how to use a systems approach to solve complex ranch problems, an update on the projected business and farm economic climate, and how to build communities to support ranching in 2050.
The top-flite speaker line-up includes Burke Teichert, Teichert Consulting; Mykel Taylor and Dustin Pendell, K-State Agricultural Economics Department; Rick Machen, King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management; Trey Patterson, Padlock Ranch; Allen Featherstone, K-State Agricultural Economics Department; and Chuck Schroeder, Rural Futures Institute at the University of Nebraska.
The K-State Ranching Summit is made possible through the generous support of a number of business donors including platinum sponsor, Key Feeds – Fourth and Pomeroy Associates, Inc., Clay Center, Kansas, and media partner, Drovers.
For more Summit details, including registration information and a complete schedule, visit www.KSUBeef.org. For questions about the event, contact Bob Weaber at bweaber@ksu.edu, 785-532-1460; or Lois Schreiner, lschrein@ksu.edu, 785-532-1267. Early registration deadline is Sept. 30. Individuals can register for $35 or $60 per couple. Walk-in registration will be available at $50 per person.
Attendees are also encouraged to attend the K-State Department of Animal Sciences and Industry Family & Friends Reunion that evening at the Stanley E. Stout Center in Manhattan. For more information about the reunion and to pre-register by Sept. 23, visit asi.ksu.edu/familyandfriends.
