Price Risk Management Workshops

The Appalachian Region of East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina has many beef producers who fall into the category of backgrounders or what is now more popularly called stocker operators. These producers fill a vital role of buying calves, many of which have had little management, adding 200 to 300 pounds of weight, and either marketing them as semi truckloads or retaining ownership to a custom feedlot. They provide a storage function in that large numbers are presented to the market by cow calf producers in the fall, but feedlots need a year around supply of replacement cattle. In addition these operators make use of the abundant supply of native grasses and supplemental feeds and byproducts. There a number of areas of risk involved in the stocker business. These include but are not limited to price risk for calves bought at lightweights and sold at heavier weights, price risk for feed or feed ingredients, and health risk on newly purchased calves. The Tri-State Stocker Conference has been planned to offer information to assist stocker operators in managing some of these risks.


About the Initiative Our Partners Current Marketing Information Beef Cattle Time Breeding and Genetics Production Forages and Nutrition Marketing *including Tennessee Beef Evaluation* News & Events Links Contact Us Home		Tri-State Stocker Conference Planned for August 6-7, 2008 The Appalachian Region of East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina has many beef producers who fall into the category of backgrounders or what is now more popularly called stocker operators. These producers fill a vital role of buying calves, many of which have had little management, adding 200 to 300 pounds of weight, and either marketing them as semi truckloads or retaining ownership to a custom feedlot. They provide a storage function in that large numbers are presented to the market by cow calf producers in the fall, but feedlots need a year around supply of replacement cattle. In addition these operators make use of the abundant supply of native grasses and supplemental feeds and byproducts. There a number of areas of risk involved in the stocker business. These include but are not limited to price risk for calves bought at lightweights and sold at heavier weights, price risk for feed or feed ingredients, and health risk on newly purchased calves. The Tri-State Stocker Conference has been planned to offer information to assist stocker operators in managing some of these risks. The conference, which will be held at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Abington, VA, will be August 6-7, 2008. A trade show will be open during the day with many of the animal health, feed, and marketing organizations involved in the region’s beef industry there for you to meet and learn more about their products and services. A steak lunch will be provided for all participants. An optional tour of three Virginia stocker operations in the Washington and Smyth County area. You will learn how these producers work to ensure success. Program Topics and Speakers Managing Health on Newly Purchased Calves and What To Do In A Health Wreck Dr. Dee Whittier, Extension Veterinarian, Virginia Tech Stocker-Feedlot Dynamics: How Is It Changing? Pratt Feeders Stocker Operator Panel Tennessee Stocker Operators Beef Cattle Outlook Dr. Ron Plain, Extension Economist, University of Missouri Use of Supplemental Feeds In a Forage Based Stocker Program Dr. Matthew Poore, Extension Livestock Nutritionist, North Carolina State University Livestock Risk Protection Insurance for Stocker Operations Dr. Emmit Rawls, Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, University of Tennessee For additional information and registration forms, download the brochure and registration form For further information, contact your local UT Extension Agent or UT Extension Specialist Emmit Rawls at (800) 345-0561.
		© 2008 Tennessee Beef Cattle Improvement Initiative