From the Field
Notes from your regional managers on the importance of attending industry events for education and fellowship.
December 17, 2025
Angus Convention offers opportunities for seedstock providers and commercial cattlemen alike, including National Angus Tour, which featured stops at Downey Ranch, Shamrock Farms and Fink Beef Genetics in 2025.
As cattlemen, it can be hard to get away from home for too long. Responsibilities on the farm can sometimes isolate farmers and ranchers, making it difficult to build a network and access educational events.
In this month’s edition of “From the Field,” we visited with regional managers Adam Conover, Will Harsh and Jeff Mafi to discuss why attending industry events is important to building your network, how continuing education can benefit you and what opportunities are available to commercial cattlemen at next year’s Angus Convention.
Find your people
Building connections is critical in an industry where long days are spent working solo, and time off farm can be minimal.
Attending industry events — especially those geared toward beef producers — can be a great way to meet new contacts and build your network.
“I would say it’s an absolute must. If you’re not out visiting with people, they don’t have a clue you even exist,” says Conover, noting that attending networking and educational opportunities allows people to become familiar with you and your program. “That’s going to increase people’s comfort level, even if it’s just admiring what you’re doing.”
As far as which event to attend, Conover says producers must find the option that fits their circumstances and location the best.
Putting your finger on the one single event that would be best to attend, whether on a local, regional or national level, may be nearly impossible. The good thing is, many producers have several choices.
“If you’re a commercial producer, get involved at your state and local levels. Whether that is your state cattlemen’s association or your state Angus association,” says Harsh, noting that involvement could mean joining an organization, serving in a leadership role or consigning an animal to an association-hosted sale. “I think it’s really important that people get involved at that level not only from the networking standpoint, but ultimately to establish some recognition with your name or your program.”
Never stop learning
While staying within our comfort zones may be the default setting, growth sometimes requires us to step outside our norm.
Mafi recommends identifying an event that offers applicable continuing education opportunities in addition to networking.
“Any time you can get out of the county and go somewhere you haven’t been before [or meet someone] you haven’t met before, there’s always an opportunity to learn,” Mafi says. “Maybe you will gain a different perspective on how people value their cows or value certain genetics. What’s important to them, what’s important to their goals? It’s just continuing education to go to those kinds of programs and events.”
While learning from fellow producers can certainly be a highlight, curated educational sessions are another reason to investigate events whether local, state or national.
In an age where more resources are available online, producers have their pick of webinars and virtual programs that may be beneficial. Those can be good options when time is incredibly tight, but knowing your learning style can be helpful when making the decision between attending an event in-person or online.
“With technology and the internet, you can pick up a lot of things on your own if you’re a self-learning-type person,” Conover says, suggesting that those valuable online opportunities might not be for everyone. “I’d say whenever [events are] close and it works in your schedule, have them on your radar and try to go if you can.”
Growing with Angus
One event that might not be on the radar of commercial producers, but that offers immense value from both networking and educational standpoints: Angus Convention.
Taking place next year during the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Ky., the event holds immense value for seedstock and commercial producers alike.
“Our staff does a really nice job putting those workshops and the Angus University clinics together, whether it’s topics like marketing your cattle, sale day preparation, or GeneMax® AdvantageTM,” Mafi says. “I mean, there are opportunities for all those producers whether they’re a seedstock provider or a commercial cow-calf producer. There are programs that fit each individual.”
Harsh recalls a 2024 Angus University session focused on succession planning. While the topic can be uncomfortable for many families to broach, that discomfort doesn’t negate the importance of having a succession plan in place.
“These sessions aren’t always just about Angus. I think that’s the important part about attending events — whether it’s Angus Convention, national cattlemen’s convention or something else,” Harsh stresses. “They do a good job of bridging that gap between topics that are near and dear to a producer’s heart.”
Interested in what took place at Angus Convention in 2025? Check out the 2025 Angus Convention recap.
Editor’s note: “From the Field” is a regular Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA column featuring advice, industry news and Angus updates from regional managers of the American Angus Association. For information on how to contact your regional manager, click here. [Lead photo by Lynsey McAnally.]
.]Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 17, No. 12-B
Topics: Business , Events , News , Management
Publication: Angus Beef Bulletin
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