I never, in all of my wildest dreams, thought I would be attending a Southeast Texas Beef Symposium, but that is what I did today! :) I was sent there today to help man the booth for the Coalition for Hog Control. Oink, oink, what’s up with that? 
I headed out this morning for the Ford Arena, outside of Beaumont, TX, to meet up with Jena Moon, the biologist, at McFadden NWR. Texas is home to an estimated two million feral hogs, which accounts for about 50% of all the feral hogs in the United States. Feral hogs destroy rangeland, pastures, crops, streams, ponds and watersheds. This is a major economic challenge for farmers, ranchers, and wildlife refuges. That’s about $51 million in damages for Texas landowners every year!Jena is competing for a grant to help control the feral hogs in Jefferson County. The method of control is to kill the hogs by shooting them from the air in helicopters. Some may think this is cruel, but these hogs are really destroying the habitat, and they breed year round here like rabbits! I’ve seen the destruction they can cause on our refuges. Anyway, our job was to sign up ranch owners for the eradication program at no cost to them. Once they heard her little speech, quite a few were very interested. All the ranchers around here have to deal with these destructive hogs.
As the lectures during the symposium were droning on about soil tests and fertilization of hay fields, I decided to take a stroll around the other vendors. There were several tractors and other equipment located between the two rows of vendors. 
I found the booth on ear tagging your cattle quite interesting, considering I grew up in the big city of Chicago. It was something I had never even thought about. Notice the diagram about where to place the tags in order to avoid arteries, etc. I felt a little bit out of my element in my gym shoes as everyone else was wearing boots and cowboy hats. :) They were all very friendly, however. 
While I was there, I also visited the Hay Show and saw the Grand Champion Hay Bale! Life doesn’t get much better than that! You just never know what tasks you’ll be asked to perform when volunteering. I know you’re all jealous of my experiences today, but try to control yourselves. :) Maybe some day you’ll get a chance to be in Hay, Hog, and Heifer Heaven! Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later, Judy
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