By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
BATESVILLE, Ark. — April 10-12 won’t be the usual “girls’ day out” unless your day usually involves moving cattle, managing vaccinations and testing hay.
Cleburne County Extension Staff Chair Amy Heck demonstrates how to tag cattle during the Cattlewomen's Bootcamp. Taken Feb. 23, 2024, at the Livestock and Forestry Research Station in Batesville, Arkansas. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Sarah Cato)
The second Cleburne and Independence County Cattlewomen’s Bootcamp “will be a great opportunity for women to deepen their knowledge about managing a livestock operation,” said Amy Heck, Cleburne County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “The bootcamp offers hands-on experience in a female focused, non-intimidating environment.
“Our goal is to empower women in the agriculture industry, specifically in beef cattle operations. The program fosters women-to-women mentorship while providing essential knowledge on owning and managing a cattle farm,” Heck said. “Participants also have the opportunity to network with other female cattle producers across the state.
“Hearing the success stories from last year's participants has been incredibly rewarding and we look forward to a new class of participants this year,” she said.
Michelle Mobley, Independence County extension staff chair, said that “this year, the bootcamp will cover essential topics including forage management, herd health and nutrition, cattle handling, farm business planning, trailer backing and administering cattle vaccines and other disease prevention measures.”
As in past, the bootcamp sessions will be hosted in two places: the Chimney Rock Cattle Company in Concord, and the Livestock and Forestry Research Station near Batesville, part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.
The bootcamp is limited to 35 participants. Registration is $50, which covers food and materials. For registration information, contact the Independence Co. Extension Office at 870-793-8840 or you can register online.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.