International Livestock Congress Introduces Ranch Horse 101 ISEF Offers Student Fellowships for International Livestock Congress International Meat Secretariat to hold Workshop during International Livestock Congress

International Livestock Congress Introduces Ranch Horse 101

Equine forum to focus on equine management and education for ranchers.

(Houston, TX) – The International Livestock Congress (ILC) will introduce a new and effective change to its line-up of topics during its annual meeting in February 2002 when it modifies its traditional equine forum to focus on issues affecting ranchers and beef producers who own horses.

Called Ranch Horse 101, the forum will focus on such topics as alternative income markets through the horse industry, feedlot horse safety, developing effective ranch breeding programs and will include demonstrations from top trainers who specialize in ranch-type horses.

“The ILC has produced a number of programs that focused specifically on issues affecting Thoroughbred racing to marketing to women in the horse industry,” said Dan Gattis, chairman of the International Stockmen’s Educational Foundation that manages the event. “The board agreed that in order to provide a horse segment to the Congress that would be of interest to all of its participants, a program needed to be developed that would help the rancher better manage his beef operation through the horses he might use.”

Included among the topics will be a look at ranch horse competitions, prevention and recovery of stolen horses and marketing and promoting the ranch horse.

According to Beef magazine, ranchers in the United States own more than 300,000 horses. While the horse has been replaced somewhat as a tool for managing beef cattle herds in the U.S., it is still a viable tool for many ranches in South America, Mexico and Australia, he explained.

“Because the mission of the ILC is to serve as a catalyst for change in agriculture, changing the horse program to fit the needs of all our participants is a logical step,” Gattis said.

The International Livestock Congress will be held February 19-22, 2002 at the Warwick Park Plaza Hotel in Houston, Texas, during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. For more information or to register, go to www.livestockcongress.com or call Julie Kimball, Executive Director at (817) 367-6563.

ISEF Offers Student Fellowships for International Livestock Congress

Students to enjoy networking experience with agricultural leaders.

(Houston, TX) – The International Stockmen’s Educational Foundation (ISEF) will offer 25 student travel fellowships to the 2002 International Livestock Congress to be held February 19-22 in Houston, Texas.

The objective of the International Livestock Congress in recent years has been to focus on major international issues that impact the beef and horse industries. With this focus, the foundation has been very successful in attracting key thought leaders from throughout the world. The Congress is held each year during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

“This is a great opportunity for students who are planning a career in agriculture, particularly in the beef and horse industries,” said Dan Gattis, ISEF chairman. “They will not only have an opportunity to attend the sessions, but will also take several field trips in the Houston area and will have an opportunity to see the agricultural exhibits and rodeo at the stock show.”

For the past five years, ILC has awarded 20 fellowships each year to some of the world's top agricultural students. That number will be increased to 25 in 2002. Students are selected by a group of leaders representing various components of the industry. Scholastic achievement, leadership experiences and letters of recommendation are all part of the stringent qualifying requirements. The committee attempts to award at least half of the fellowships to students from countries other than the United States. This setting provides the students with the opportunity to interact with world industry leaders and contribute to the solutions that will shape the advancement of the livestock industry into the next millennium.

Interested students may apply by contacting ISEF Executive Director Julie J. Kimball at (817) 367-6563 or can go to www.livestockcongress.com to download an application.

International Meat Secretariat to hold Workshop during International Livestock Congress

Workshop to focus on marketing and communications

(Houston, TX) – The International Meat Secretariat (IMS), headquartered in Paris, France, will hold its annual marketing and communications workshop during the 2002 International Livestock Congress (ILC) to be held February 19-22 in Houston, Texas.

“We are pleased to be able to bring these two organizations together to host the workshop in the United States this year,” said Phil Seng, IMS president and a board member of the International Stockmen’s Educational Foundation that manages the Congress. “This workshop will bring 50 to 60 representatives of the international meat industry to the United States for the workshop and is a great opportunity for the world beef industry to meet and discuss the issues facing the industry.’

The workshop will be hosted by the ILC and will begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday, February 19 and conclude at noon Wednesday, February 20. It will be immediately followed by the ILC’s Beef Forum, which will begin at 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 20 and will conclude on Friday, February 22. Participants can register for one or both conferences.

One of the principal functions of the IMS is to facilitate the exchange of facts and figures about the worldwide meat and livestock industry through its World Meat Congress and other Meetings, and also through its various publications. The IMS currently includes 56 member organizations from around the world. Every two years, meat professionals from throughout the world gather at the IMS World Meat Congress to exchange ideas, meet their counterparts from other countries, discuss the state of the industry and analyze trends and issues that are set to influence its future. Internationally renowned experts in their fields address delegates during each Congress. The 14th World Meat Congress will be held in Berlin, Germany, May 27-30, 2002.

For more information or to register for the International Livestock Congress, go to www.livestockcongress.com or contact Executive Director Julie Kimball at (817) 367-6563.

The ISEF was formed in 1986 as an outgrowth of the International Stockmen’s School founded in 1942 by the late Dr. M.E. Ensminger. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, its primary purpose is to manage the International Livestock Congress, held each year during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, where representatives from around the world gather to discuss relevant and critical global issues facing the beef and horse industries.