Amarillo Dairy Forum Scheduled During Annual Farm Show
AMARILLO – The dairy industry in the High Plains has had a sevenfold increase in the past six years, so making it a part of the annual Amarillo Farm and Ranch Show is a natural, Texas Cooperative Extension and farm show officials said.The industry has grown from about 20,000 dairy cows to more than 140,000 dairy cows in the Panhandle since 2001, said Dr. Ellen Jordan, Extension dairy specialist. Working on these dairies are approximately 1,400 owners, managers and employees.
To meet the growing demand for information, the Amarillo Farm and Ranch Show hosted the High Plains Growth Forum last year and has changed the event name to the Amarillo Dairy Forum this year, said Deni Billmyer, farm show marketing manager.
The Amarillo Farm and Ranch Show, which runs Nov. 27-29, includes a Dairy Pavilion with 30 to 40 exhibitors from around the U.S., he said. Admission to the show, including the meetings, is $2 per person.
“The area around Amarillo and Clovis, N.M. is becoming one of the largest dairy developing areas in the United States,” Billmyer said. “Dairy is farm-and-ranch related, and to combine it with the crop-and-beef show was appropriate.”
Jordan said High Plains dairy operators are growing more of their own feed, so they need much of the same information other crop producers need, as well as information specifically related to dairy.
Billmyer said the conference is geared toward the owners/operators as well as herdsmen.
The show will be split into three sessions over two days, all being held in the Grand Plaza of the Amarillo Civic Center.
The session “Cultural Issues Concerning Dairy Workers,” with Dr. Mireille Chahine, assistant professor and Extension dairy specialist from the University of Idaho, is scheduled for 10 a.m. “Heat Effects on Dairy Calf Growth,” with Dr. Glenn Holub, Texas A&M University assistant professor, is set for 2 p.m. Both sessions will be given on Nov. 27.
On Nov. 28, “Integrating Distiller’s Grains in Dairy Rations” will be presented by Jordan at 2 p.m. and “Factors Affecting Today’s Dairy Market,” presented by Dr. David Anderson, associate professor and Extension economist for livestock, will begin at 3 p.m.
“We wanted to find topics that were related and also wanted to include topics that might not have been discussed already in this area,” Billmyer said.
He said the dairy forum is an ongoing, developing program, one which farm show officials would like to make much bigger. Officials are considering the possibility of adding two days to the end of the Amarillo Farm and Ranch Show in order to accommodate the extra programming.
“We’re also hoping to get people from other parts of the United States in here for the conference and then they can tour the area,” Billmyer said. “Perhaps they will be interested in opening an operation or extending their operation with other family members in this area.” -30-
