Jackson County, Florida, Cattlemen's Tour – July 12

Jackson County, Florida, Cattlemen’s Ranch Tour – July 12

Beef Cattle, Educational Training, Farm Tour, Forage & Pasture, Grazing Management, Livestock, pasture
by Doug Mayo

The Jackson County Cattlemen’s Association will be hosting their annual Ranch Tour on Thursday, July 12, 2018.  Participation is open to interested cattle producers from across the Tri-state region. Tour participants will meet at 8:45 AM Central time at the grass parking lot for the Marianna High School Baseball & Football Fields, north of Marianna on Caverns Road.  Drinks will be available at each stop to keep everyone hydrated in the summer heat.  The tour will depart at depart at 9:00 AM.  The tour will conclude with a sponsored hamburger lunch at the Jackson County Agriculture Center on Highway 90, just west of Marianna.

Carpooling is recommended to limit the number of vehicles on the tour. Drivers should have more than 1/4 tank of fuel for the trip upon arrival.

The tour will feature Andy Andreasen’s AAA Farm where participants will get a firsthand look at silvopasture (combined timber and forage production) and see a demonstration of cattle handling facility design.  The second tour stop will be at Odyssey Feeders’ Preconditioning Facility to visit with Jantzen Lord.  The final stop will be a presentation at the Agriculture Center by Dr. Todd Thrift, UF/IFAS Beef Specialist.  He will share his humorous comparison of “Chevys, Cadillacs, Cows and Consumers.”  His presentation will show how the beef industry has changed over the last several decades and provide some insight on how the industry will need to evolve to meet the needs of modern consumers to remain profitable.  The half-day event will end with a sponsored hamburger lunch grilled to perfection by the Cattlemen’s Association’s famous “Cooking Crew.”

There is no registration fee for participation, but an RSVP for you and your party by Monday, July 9 is greatly appreciated for food planning and preparation.  To RSVP, call the Jackson County Extension Office at 850-482-9620, or email Liz Jackson.