Athens Beef Cattle Short Course

Date: February 11th, 2026
Location: UGA Livestock Instructional Arena, Athens (2600 S. Milledge Ave. Athens, GA 30605)
Cost: $50/person, includes lunch, notebook and ‘UGA Beef’ hat.

The Northeast Georgia Beef Cattle Short Course will have vendors and representatives from several companies and institutions to visit with during the breaks and lunch. Door prizes will also be given away at the conclusion of the program!

Participants this year will receive continuing education hours for:

• Beef Quality Assurance (3 hours)

This year’s short course will be held in conjunction with the Focus on Genetically Enhanced EPDs Bull Sale on February 12th, 2026.

Call your local County Extension Office for more information at 1-800-ASK-UGA1.

2026 Agenda

8:30 a.m.	Registration Opens (Visit with Sponsors)
9:00 a.m.	Welcome
9:10 a.m.	Beef Cattle Market Outlook Will Secor, UGA Extension Livestock Economist
9:45 a.m.	Using Fecal Microbiome to Improve Feed Efficiency in Cattle Dr. Mikayla Dycus, PhD Graduate – UGA Animal and Dairy Science
10:15 a.m.	Break (Visit with Sponsors)
10:45 a.m.	Update on New World Screwworm Raymond Fitzpatrick, UGA Extension – Franklin County
11:15 a.m.	Media & Agriculture: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Stephanie Butcher, UGA Extension – Coweta County
12:00 p.m.	Lunch (Visit with Sponsors)
1:00 p.m.	Afternoon Rotation: 1) Considerations for Replacement Heifer Selection Jason Duggin , UGA Extension Beef Specialist Dr. Pedro Fontes , UGA Extension Beef Specialist 2) Evaluating Finishing Cattle for Optimal Harvest Dr. Pedro Carvalho, UGA Extension Beef Specialist 3)Understanding the Value of Marbling Dr. Alex Stelzleni, UGA Animal and Dairy Science 4) Weed Control After a Drought Lisa Baxter, UGA Extension Forage Specialist
4:15 p.m.	Wrap Up and Door Prizes

Program Contacts