May 7 SPA Workshop Designed for Cow-Calf Producers

Writers: Tim W. McAlavy, (806) 746-6101, email: t-mcalavy@tamu.edu
Contact: Stan Bevers, (940) 552-9941, email:s-bevers@tamu.edu

VERNON – Cattle producers have endured many ups and downs in the market during the past three years.
In order to sustain and improve an operation in this type of environment, cow-calf producers have to know
how their operation rates -- from a production standpoint and from a financial standpoint, said a Texas
Cooperative Extension economist.

Cow-calf producers can learn how to gauge their operation’s production and financial performance at a
May 7 Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA) workshop at the Texas A&M Research and Extension
Center here.

“The goal of this workshop is to help cow-calf operators determine their current financial and production
benchmarks,” said Stan Bevers, Texas Agricultural Extension Service economist. “This is a working
workshop. We will help participants generate and complete their own performance analyses.

“This exercise, and the information it generates, will help producers sustain or improve their operation in
today’s economy and environment.”

The workshop begins at 8:30 a.m. Registration costs $100 per ranch or operation, and includes educational
materials, software, lunch and refreshments.

“SPA lets ranchers compare their operation’s performance between years, to that of other producers or
operations, by production region and across production systems,” Bevers added. “This workshop will
enable ranchers to complete a SPA for their 2002 calf crop.

“Those who register will receive all the forms they need to organize their production and financial data
before the workshop. All of this data remains confidential. We will provide an assistant and a computer to
help each participant generate their own SPA. We also will hold individual conferences with each
participant to interpret the results of their SPA.

“It is important to register early, so we can advise you on how to organize the production and financial data
necessary for your analysis,” Bevers said.

To register, or to obtain more information on the workshop, contact Bevers at (940) 552-9941.