Beef Business

The Summer Symposium, Presented by the American Shorthorn Association

As many of you know, 2022 was a year of preparation for the future of the Shorthorn breed. The largest component of this came to fruition as the new ASA Strategic Plan and its key initiatives. One of the initiatives focuses solely on you, the ASA member, by aiming to create a better equipped and motivated Shorthorn breeder. As discussions progressed on ways to bring these words and ideas into action, the mention of hosting a large-scale breeder education forum was volleyed around and met with much interest from your association leadership. We’ve invested time with shorter educational programs during the Annual Meeting, but we wanted to go above and beyond what we can accomplish with those sessions. When looking back, it was 2015 when the last stand-alone educational forum was held at the Impact conference in Kansas City. To put that into perspective: your current ASA staff had a total of two years of Shorthorn experience at the time Impact was held. Today, your staff brings almost 40 years of combined service time to the Shorthorn breed. Simply put, it’s been a while!

Country music singer Toby Keith once sang that he wanted “a little less talk and a lot more action.” Well, the American Shorthorn Association is putting the talk of a better educated and motivated breeder into action! We officially invite to you The Summer Symposium, Presented by the American Shorthorn Association. The Summer Symposium is a full-blown educational workshop that will be hosted July 18-20, 2024, in Lexington, Kentucky. Mark your calendars now to join us in the Bluegrass State for a time of learning, fun, and the Shorthorn fellowship we all enjoy so much. It’s a ways out until we will gather in Lexington, but we’re excited to bring this event to you and want you to have the time to get your schedule cleared to join us for this long weekend. You may even choose to make a vacation destination out of all Lexington has to offer around The Summer Symposium.

The Summer Symposium is going to be an event unlike any other Shorthorn educational forum. As an attendee, you will experience a program that combines discussion of the essentials of seedstock production along with forward-thinking wide-scope beef industry topics. Being a good steward of livestock and quality Shorthorn breeder is important, but being a Shorthorn breeder who is in tune with what is happening in the larger beef cattle industry is vital to the sustainability and future of the red, white, and roan cattle. With The Summer Symposium, we aim to give you tools to take home to the farm and implement for improved production, as well as topics to make you think and help you develop your place in this big business we call the beef cattle industry.

Of course, we can’t take a trip to central Kentucky without incorporating a taste of some of the facets of culture that the Lexington area is known for. While you’re in town for The Summer Symposium, we plan to offer you the chance to get a dose of the Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding industry, as well as a glass of bourbon from one of Kentucky’s premier distilleries homed in the Lexington area. Learning and education are paramount, but so is expanding our horizons and having some fun while we do it! While in town for The Summer Symposium, you will want to take advantage of what Lexington has to offer outside of what we have planned for you as guests at the event. My wife and I made Lexington a weekend getaway spot last year, and she would tell you that the region is full of neat things to see and do, and the food scene is quite impressive. Lexington is a neat Southern city surrounded by small town charm and flavor.

Obviously, there’s plenty of time to book those flights and check out the map for the best route to road trip to Lexington. As time goes by, plenty more Summer Symposium information will be published here in the pages of The Shorthorn Country as we continue to plan this event. We want this to be an experience to remember for all Shorthorn enthusiasts. Other industry enthusiasts are also welcome to attend, so spread the word! Saddle up and be prepared to put your herd in the winner’s circle at The Summer Symposium!