by Bob Strong

The value in attending may be just one idea gained, one bit of useful information from a meeting or the chance to catch up with a friend, but the NCBA Annual Convention and Trade Show always offers new information and a chance to 'kick the tires" with manufacturers.

The trade show gives the attendee an opportunity to talk directly with the manufacturer or representative. One of the things not to miss is the Pfizer sponsored "Cattlemen's College." This group of programs ran from 7:30 a.m. to about 3:00 p.m. this year. It's impossible to attend all the programs offered since several run concurrently. Making a choice is often hard to do, but there is always one of the sessions that fits your information needs. Pfizer does a splendid job of balancing the subjects of the sessions and providing expert speakers to represent the information.

Pfizer began the Cattlemen's College in 1993. The classes or subjects offered have grown from five or six to 13. About 850 people attended classes this year. Surveys taken by NCBA after the convention rate the classes very high. The information is now available on CD-Rom and on the NCBA web site, www.beef.org. Pfizer also sponsors the Cattlemen's College at most state annual conventions.

One of the sessions presented in Nashville at the Cattlemen's College was 'Capturing the Value of Preconditioned Calves." Clyde Lane, Jr., Professor in the animal science department at the University of Tennessee was the speaker. His discussion was broken down into two parts -- cost and feasibility of preconditioning, and the marketing of preconditioned calves. I have some of the information presented in his program in the story on page 24.

The program is packed with "take home and use" information, that if followed correctly, can make a difference in a producer's bottom line. Thank you Dr. Lane, Pfizer and NCBA for providing programs that can truly make a difference. ©