FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Cattle Raisers head to New Braunfels for summer meeting

FORT WORTH, Texas, May 25, 2005―Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association will hold its summer meeting in New Braunfels June 5-7. Plenty of time for family fun will be scheduled along with the business meetings.
            Committee sessions will examine results of the recent legislative session, water issues, animal health, hunting leases, workers’ compensation, laws relating to livestock-related offenses and efforts of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Stations.
            Registration is scheduled from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 5 and from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, June 6. All meetings will be held at T Bar M Ranch; the registration desk will be located in the Texas Sage Foyer.
            “You don’t have to be a TSCRA member to attend,” emphasizes TSCRA President Dick Sherron. “This is a perfect opportunity for non-members to combine learning about TSCRA with a family get-away. Committee meetings and the general session are open to all registrants.”
            A casual tone will be set with a poolside welcome reception from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
            It’s down to business on Monday morning. From 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Dr. Bob Hillman, executive director of the Texas Animal Health Commission, will update the Animal Health Committee on plans for the national animal ID program and current status of several animal diseases.
            From 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., the Natural Resources and Environment Committee will hear about surface and underground water issues from Kathleen Hartnett White, chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. A panel discussion is planned for the Legislative and Tax Committee meeting from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
            Two sessions will run concurrently from 11 a.m. to noon. The Wildlife Committee will learn how to structure hunting leases from Dr. Charlie DeYoung of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The Brand and Inspection Committee will learn about criminal and civil statutes relating to livestock-related offenses from Charles Sebasta Jr., training coordinator with the Sheriff’s Association of Texas.
            The Labor Committee meeting will kick off the afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. Texas State Senator Todd Staples has been invited to describe legislation on workers’ compensation that came out of the recently concluded session of the Texas Legislature.
            At 2:00 p.m., Dr. Russell Cross, director of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and vice chancellor of Agriculture for the Texas A&M University System, will describe new efforts and focus of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Stations.
            The Association Promotion Committee will be updated on committee activities from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
            From 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., participants can relax by the river with cocktails, dinner and entertainment by the Bells of Joy.
            Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has been invited to address the general session, which will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday. Also on the schedule are a report on the checkoff working group from Richard Wortham, executive director of the Texas Beef Council, and an update on TSCRA’s Strategic Plan from TSCRA Director Roger Welder.
            Sponsors for TSCRA’s summer meeting are Bayer Animal Health, Southwest Texas ACA, Guy F. Stovall Jr., Elanco Animal Health, Capital Farm Credit ACA, Gordon Richardson-Estate Planning, Stay-Tite Fence Manufacturing Inc., Texas Mutual Insurance Co. and Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc.

            Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association is a 128-year-old trade organization whose 13,000-plus members manage approximately 5.4 million cattle on 70.3 million acres of range and pasture land, primarily in Texas and Oklahoma.

TSCRA-23-2005