NCTC hosts cattle lecture

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The North Central Texas College Library was the site of a two-day workshop on beef selection. Pictured are, left to right, instructor Steve Campbell, instructor Gerald Fry, NCTC student Eric King and Robby Tuggle, the president of Dixon Water Foundation ranches. Courtesy photo

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December 17, 2012

NCTC hosts cattle lecture

Special to the Register Gainesville Daily Register The Daily Register Mon Dec 17, 2012, 10:31 AM CST

Gainesville — Cattle ranchers across Texas and the nation were on the North Central Texas College Gainesville campus Thursday and Friday to learn more about beef selection in changing times in the agriculture industry.

The Dixon Water Foundation presented the two-day lecture, which was held in the lyceum of the NCTC Library.

“This program on beef measurement and selection of quality beef has been provided by funding from the Dixon Water Foundation and we are just delighted at NCTC to begin to look at sustainable agricultural programming so we can infuse our curriculum with that type of instruction,” said Lisa Bellows, an NCTC instructor who is heavily involved with the Dixon Water Foundation. “This is the third in a series and we anticipated this one being a little smaller. We had a program in September where we had 180 people visit the campus. They stayed in our hotels and ate in our restaurants. We are just delighted to have this type of outreach for not only people in our local community but state and nationally.”

Gerald Fry of Rosebud, Ark., is an independent cattleman who was one of the instructors at the workshop. He says the lecture focused on how to raise cattle, breed cattle and manage cattle to perform well on grass.

“We are in changing times,” he said. “Supplements, corn, grain and feed lot-type systems are getting prohibitive, but the consumers still want beef so we have to learn to do it with grass on our farms.”

Another instructor, Steve Campbell, came to Gainesville all the way from Parma, Idaho. Campbell has been a consultant on grass-fed cattle for six years.

“This is my first time to Texas and everyone has been very receptive,” Campbell said. “We have gotten lots of questions which is very good. That is a sign to me that people are really paying attention and want to know more.”

Both Campbell and Fry were impressed with NCTC’s facilities and the reception they received in Gainesville.

“The fact that this is at a college is almost overwhelming to me because colleges usually pay no attention to this,” Fry said.