V8 Ranch’s 2017 “Brahman Days” Educational Workshop

Noon          Trade Show Displays Open, Check In
(Lunch is on your own but we recommend a great selection of restaurants in Wharton including 9ers, Los Cucos, Provisions on the Square, or even Mach’s Restaurant in Boling!)

1:00 p.m.      Welcome and Introductions

1:15 p.m.        Records, Registrations, and Performance: How to Manage It All
Panel discussion moderated by Chris Shivers, featuring Jim Williams, Brandon Cutrer, and Rachel Cutrer. This panel will discuss our intense record keeping system at V8, which we’ve used since the 1940s. We’ll show you how we monitor each animal from birth through sale time and beyond. If you like crunching numbers, analyzing data, and making spreadsheets, this will be a class for you! Topics will include:

• What data to record at birth, and how to do it
• How to manage the new ABBA DNA rules
• Tips on registering calves to make the process as easy as possible, including handling AI certificates
• Our flush records and production records
• How we keep up with inventory of live cattle, semen and embryos
• Our financial record keeping, managing sales data and trends, and tips on calculating your break-evens and costs for show cattle, developing cattle, pasture cattle, sales costs, and more.

1:45 p.m.        Selecting Brahman Cattle by Phenotype and A Lesson in Brahman Breed Character

Jim Williams, former judge of two World Brahman Congresses, the Houston International Show, and a past National Brahman Show, will share his expert insight on how to visually select cattle for the show ring. He’ll show you how to notice the little things that only the most expert judges can see. He’ll also discuss what exactly is Brahman breed character, and why it’s important to Brahman breeders. This session will be followed by a live, hands on demonstration at the V8 show barn later in the afternoon.

2:15 p.m.        Herd Management: The V8 Way of Development from Birth to Weaning to Development to Production
Brandon Cutrer, lead manager of the V8 Ranch Bull Test and heifer development program will give an in-depth presentation on the management stages of our herd, including a month-by-month gameplan of what we do, when we do it, and why. He’ll walk you through what we do when a calf is first born, through weaning, then through our development centers, and finally into mature cow herd management and bull management. We’ll give you a road map for your entire year of jobs to do at the ranch.

Break

3:00 p.m.        Telling Your Ranch’s Story through Marketing and Photography
Whether you have 1 head or 100 head to sell, every Brahman breeder needs a marketing and promotion plan. And often, a lot of this is easier than you think if you only have the right tools and time commitment. Members of the V8 team will share our strategy on how to promote your cattle to a worldwide audience through great photos and social media.

Travel to ranch (located 5 minutes away)

4:00 p.m.        Hands On, Live Cattle Demonstrations
Join us at the ranch for rotating live animal demonstrations that will include:

• Tour of our newly renovated show barn, including our setup for handling nearly 80 head of show cattle year round.
• Discussion with V8 herdsman, Kolten Thigpen, on halter breaking and show cattle management, including how to manage show heifers for calving ease
• Our cattle working facilities: how they work, how we handle the cattle quickly and calmly, and how we are set up for tasks like calving out cows, handling young calves during the winter, and all other questions about our cattle handling and working.
• Demonstration about our animal identification methods (how we assign our numbers, our tagging methods, and identification)
• Live cattle demonstration in how to recognize Brahman breed character, structure, and visual differences from a show standpoint

Head back to the Boling Community Center for

5:30 p.m.        “Brahman Nights” Steak Dinner and Live Entertainment by the Lone Star Drifters

Click Here to Get Your Tickets

Click Here to See The “Brahman Days” Educational Workshop Schedule page