The 2023 Capital Farm Credit Hemphill County Texas A&M AgriLife Beef Conference is centered on numbers. Scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, April 25-26, with the theme, “It’s All About the Numbers,” the event will feature 15 speakers in all, a sold-out trade show, and even more corporate sponsors.

The five speakers featured this week point to the big picture for agriculture and future growth potential. In an interview with Record editor Laurie Ezzell Brown, AgriLife Extension Agent Andy Holloway said this conference is focusing on the Red Angus breed. “Red Angus are a lot like Black Angus, in terms of breed characteristics like good milkers, highly fertile, and strong carcass traits.” Holloway added that the Red Angus growers have done a “superb job at keeping their cattle real uniform, as well as high quality.”

Tom Brink, CEO of the Red Angus Association, will speak on Tuesday at 6:45 pm. His talk is entitled, “The Beef Female of the Future.” Brink is the owner and founder of Top Dollar Angus, the first and only certification program for commercial feeder cattle focused exclusively on Angus and Red Angus-based cattle with top 25 percent growth and carcass traits. Top Dollar Angus assures cattle feeders they are buying the very best in Angus genetics.

Well-known in the U.S. beef industry, Brink has earned a reputation as one of the foremost experts on beef production and supply chain economics. He spent 14 years in the cattle-feeding business in various leadership positions at JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeding and ContiBeef. He also served as president and COO of J & F Oklahoma Holdings, Inc., the cattle ownership sister company to Five Rivers. Brink has overseen feeder-cattle procurement and risk management for a cattle-feeding business that went on to procure and market over 1.6 million head per year. In addition, Brink has conducted extensive research on the factors that create valuable cattle both in the feedyard and from a carcass standpoint, and has been a featured speaker throughout the nation on these and other beef-industry topics.

In 2013, Brink used his years of experience and valuable knowledge to start Top Dollar Angus with the goal of facilitating relationships at every segment within the beef industry and helping producers see their cattle reach their value potential. Top Dollar Angus’ mission is to help commercial cow-calf and registered seedstock producers, who’ve invested in top-end Angus and Red Angus genetics, capture more value from their calf crops.

Wednesday afternoon, at 1:30 pm, two professors will tag team on their research in “Beef—It’s What’s for Dinner.” Dr. Ty Lawrence is a professor of animal science at West Texas A&M University. He was reared on a cow-calf operation near Dalhart, before pursuing formal education at WTAMU (B.S., M.S.) and Kansas State University (Ph.D.). Lawrence spent two years with Smithfield in the position of research manager for pork harvest and processing facilities on the Eastern Seaboard before entering his academic career. In his current position, he has taught over 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students in 14 different animal, food, and meat science courses. He has advised five Ph.D. and 37 M.S. students. In addition, Lawrence is the director of the WTAMU Beef Carcass Research Center, which annually evaluates 200,000-plus cattle for a variety of research projects. His research activities focus on improving the yield, quality, and safety of red meat products and have resulted in the publication of more than 98 peer-reviewed scientific journal manuscripts. Lawrence has received the AMSA Distinguished Achievement Award and the Distinguished Extension-Industry Award, was a recipient of the inaugural 40 Under 40 Awards in agriculture from the Vance Publishing Group, and holds the Caviness Davis Distinguished Chair in meat science.

Dr. Daniel Hale is a professor and associate director of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service for agriculture and natural resources. Since his career with Extension began in 1985, Hale has interpreted and extended information on diet/health, animal welfare, food safety, livestock growth, and meat science to consumers, youth, health professionals, retailers, food service managers, packers, processors, and livestock producers. Hale is the co-director of the Path to the Plate Program, which helps Texans better their lives through education on the important connection between agriculture and health.

He also performs industry-applied meat science research. Since 1990, Hale has served as a co-principle investigator the National Beef Quality Audit. Also, he has worked with the National Consumer Retail Beef Study; the National Market Basket Survey; and the Beef Tenderness Survey, which examined supplies of beef offered at the retail meat case and determined what consumers want in meat products. He has conducted training in nutritional sciences and meat in the diet science since the release in the 1980s of the USDA Handbook No. 8 nutrient data—data collected in part through work conducted by Texas A&M University under USDA supervision. Hale has taught consumers and dietitians about the inclusion of meat in a healthy diet. He has also worked with livestock producers, retailers, and food service operators to produce and offer leaner beef options to consumers.

Hale served as the president of the American Meat Science Association in 2007 and became a fellow of that organization in 2013. In 2014, Hale received the TAMU Association of Former Students Distinguished Service Award–Extension and Service and earlier received the Vice Chancellor Distinguished Service Award (2003) and Extension Superior Service Award (2007) for Extension specialist. His most recent award was the Bluebonnet Award with the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2020. Hale received his Ph.D. in 1985 from Oklahoma State University in food, nutrition, and institutional sciences within the Department of Animal Science.

On Tuesday at 4:30 pm, Brian Bledsoe will take the stage with a talk entitled, “Climactic Numbers: What Do Numbers Indicate About Our Future Weather and Environment?” Holloway said Bledsoe was raised on a ranch in eastern Colorado and now is internationally known. Currently, Bledsoe is the chief meteorologist/climatologist for KKTV 11 News in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is also the president and chief meteorologist of BrianBledsoeWx, LLC. His goal is to help ag producers make their businesses more successful by using accurate weather forecasts, both short-term and long-term. His strong background in agriculture is important, as he recognizes the need for good common-sense weather forecasting that can be readily used by farmers and ranchers. He frequently speaks all across the region about weather and the importance of using long-range forecasting.

Holloway told Brown he was excited about Willie Robertson, this year’s keynote speaker. The Duck Commander’s segment is entitled “America, Our Home Sweet Home,” and will take place on Tuesday, at 2 pm. “He’s a great speaker,” said Holloway, “he’s inspirational and has a great business message.”

A wildly successful entrepreneur, as well as an entertainer, Robertson is best known as the CEO of Duck Commander on A&E’s Duck Dynasty. Duck Commander is not only the brand of the bestselling duck call in the U.S., but also a popular trademark for apparel, hunting gear, wine, foods, spices, and more. Robertson has expanded the family company from a living room operation to a multimillion-dollar enterprise and into a premiere destination for all things outdoors, including Buck Commander, Fin Commander, Strut Commander, and Duck Commander Family Foods.

As the executive producer of Duck Dynasty on A&E and Buck Commander on the Outdoor Channel, Robertson is able to combine his passion for the outdoors with his natural ability to entertain. While the Robertson family’s story is a great example of entrepreneurship and dedication, it is—at its core—built on faith and family. Robertson is a New York Times bestselling author of The Duck Commander Family: How Faith, Family, and Ducks Built a Dynasty; American Hunter; American Fisherman; and American Entrepreneur. He and his family have a platinum-selling Christmas album, Duck the Halls.

Robertson and his wife, Korie, live with their children in West Monroe, Louisiana.

Holloway noted that the theme of the conference fits into several subject areas, and is multifaceted. “It’s not just about finances; it’s about a business. It’s about carcass value. It’s about markets. And—it’s entertaining.”

For more information about the conference, or to register, log on to www.hemphillcotxbeef.com, or call 806.323.9114.