October 9, 2018
RSVP for Pre-conference BRANDS n BEEF Training
Agriculture and 4-H agents are invited to attend a professional development training on Monday, October 15, at the Stanley Stout Center in Manhattan. The first part of the session will be on using the ration balancing program BRANDS, running from 2 to 4 p.m. At 4:15 p.m., Terry Houser will cover the importance of USDA beef Quality and Yield grading as it relates to beef carcass value. We will also perform and practice basic carcass measurements including marbling score, ribeye area, and fat depth measurements. This hands on session will be helpful to any agent that is involved with a 4-H carcass contest.
Kansas Department of Agriculture will provide an overview of the Secure Beef program prior to a social and meal. You may elect to come only for the second session. Please RSVP intentions at this link by noon on October 10: https://tinyurl.com/PreConfTraining.
More information about BRANDS is here: http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/brands.html. For those new to BRANDS and KSRE, if your county/district has never purchased a copy, your cost would be $150. An update was released in 2017 and your county may be eligible for an update (cost covered for livestock PFT members) if they purchased an earlier copy. Contact Sandy Johnson, sandyj@ksu.edu, if you have questions on your county history with BRANDS and costs.