All times in CDT
Tour Option 1: Caviness Beef Packers Harvest Facility – Hereford, TX
It’s no secret carcass quality starts at the ranch. During this pre-event tour, step inside Caviness for a look behind the scenes at the packing plant. Learn what role premium beef, like the Certified Angus Beef ® brand, plays in their business and beyond.
This tour is limited to 30 people, and seats will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. The cost is $50.
Tour Option 2: Caviness Ground Beef Facility – Amarillo, TX
With today’s cattle prices, the entire carcass brings value to the table. This includes premium grinds for ground beef. Hear from Caviness at their specialized ground beef facility how premium grinds hit the market and demand continues to grow. This tour has limited capacity, and seats will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
This tour is limited to 30 people, and seats will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. The cost is $50.
Boxed lunches provided for Beef Blitz attendees only.
Both Beef Blitz tours will happen simultaneously, so attendees may choose only one during registration.
Check in at the Yellow Rose Ballroom, Pre-Function area.
Emcee: Kara Lee
From low cattle supplies to record beef prices, the global marketplace is experiencing record highs and lows. Learn about the current state of the commodity and financial markets around the world to help prepare for swings in the market and guide your risk management strategies.
Speaker: Dan Basse
Balancing carcass weight, yield and quality, how do cattle feeders best target the most profitable end point for fed cattle in today’s pricing environment? There is no one-size-fits-all model. Strategic management accompanied by strategic marketing can get cattle feeders closer to their goals.
Speaker: Pete Anderson, Ph.D.
Steady progress has been made to find a solution to the red meat yield dilemma; however, there is still a long way to go before the challenge is solved. The goal is still the same: to produce dollars that flow back to the cattle feeder and cow-calf producer to increase the value of genetics that hit carcass production targets.
Speaker: Nick Hardcastle, Ph.D.
Why are known genetics important? What role can tools like genomic testing play in cattle feeding? How do management and marketing turn both into profit for the cattle feeder and the commercial cow/calf producer? Hear from a panel about ways they’re answering each of these questions.
Panelists: Levi Berry, Tom Fanning, and Spencer Smith, J.D.
Moderator: Paul Dykstra
Join us for a social hour celebrating the 2026 Industry Achievement Award honoree, Del Miles.
All attendees are invited to the Industry Achievement Award dinner. Grab a drink and head into the ballroom for invocation and a Certified Angus Beef ® steak dinner.
About the Award: The Industry Achievement Award recognizes leaders who have made a lasting mark on the beef industry with the intention of improving beef production, both profitably and sustainably. Achievements can be through private enterprises or primarily public service with little or no direct cattle feeding endeavors. Each year recipients are chosen by previous winners, making it a community and leadership-focused honor.
Speakers: John Stika & Del Miles
All times in CDT
Explore the growing role that Prime plays today in our industry. From producers, to packers, to restaurateurs, Prime has become a key ingredient in the success of every link in the supply chain today. It’s now an achievable, practical and repeatable target for cattlemen. During this panel, learn why and how.
Panelists: Arnis Robbins, Paul Dykstra, BJ Johnson
Moderator: Bruce Cobb
Stop thinking about ground beef as the “leftovers” and explore what opportunities it creates for our industry. Above and beyond baseline ground beef business, what do premium grinds, like the Certified Angus Beef ® brand, mean to a ground beef processor? For Certified Angus Beef, learn what kind of opportunities grinds present on the sales side.
Speakers: Trevor Caviness & Carson Rogers
The population of beef x dairy cattle are important in today’s market, but management may need to look different to achieve desired outcomes. Let’s talk about the advancements we’ve made and areas where opportunities exist to advance care and improve your bottom line.
Speaker: Taylor Engle, DVM
Phyto-complexes may not be new technology to the cattle feeding world, but new data may help us better understand them. From feed conversion at the feedyard to immunity at the ranch, explore current research regarding practical applications in the beef supply chain.
Speaker: Jeff Heldt, Ph.D.
As cattlemen begin increasing the national cow herd, what considerations should be top of mind? Setting primary goals may help identify the tools available to achieve desired outcomes. This session will explore potential partners to help you reach above and beyond the goals you set.
Panelists: Brian Walt
Moderator: Mark McCully