TEXARKANA, Texas – The Four States Cattle Conference will be held on Dec. 14 at Texas A&M Univ. in Texarkana. The event helps attendees learn the latest about the marketplace including cattle management methods and risk protection instruments.

During the one-day conference, agronomists, researchers and market experts will come together to talk about the industry.

Paul Beck, a professor for the Univ. of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture at the Southwest Research and Extension Center in Hope, will chair the conference for the second time. The chairmanship has rotated through participants from the conference’s other three participating states — Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma.

“Cattle health represents a significant cost to producers,” Beck said. “Learning even a few of the lessons put forth in these conferences can more than offset the cost of attendance.”

Speakers at the day-long conference include Vanessa Corriher-Olson and Brian Triplett, both from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service; JJ Jones, Derrell Peel and Barry Whitworth, all from the Oklahoma State Univ. Extension Service; and Ryan Walker from the Noble Research Institute.

Pre-registration is closed. However, those who are interested can attend the conference by registering on-site on Dec. 14 at 8 a.m. The cost is $45 for individuals or $70 for couples and includes lunch.

“We expect the cattle industry to change every year, and it certainly has,” Beck said. “We try to tailor this conference to help producers prepare for this changing environment.”