Day 1 — Wednesday, March 25

11:00 AM – 5:00 PM (CST)

Theme: Building the Genetic Foundation

11:00 – 11:30 AM
Welcome + Intro: The Tailor-Made Principle
• “Making your herd’s genetic code fit your zip code”
• Steve’s consulting philosophy and workshop roadmap
• Participant introductions + herd goals

Genetics: Goal-Driven Selection

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Define Your Goal: Profit per Acre vs. Frame Size
• How production goals shape bull and cow selection
• Tradeoffs: growth/frame vs fertility and maintenance cost
• Selecting for grass efficiency, longevity, and profitability

12:30 – 1:15 PM
Selecting Bulls for the Goal
• Traits to prioritize: fertility, structure, temperament
• Buying vs raising bulls
• Practical inspection rules at the sale barn

1:15 – 1:30 PM — Break

1:30 – 2:30 PM
Selecting Cows: The Solo-Cup Cow Concept
• Functional conformation for grass-based efficiency
• Recognizing the “Solo Cup” silhouette
• Building a maternal herd that lasts

2:30 – 3:45 PM
Linear Measurement: Cowlipers & Data-Driven Selection
• Heart girth, topline, hip height, pins, bone structure
• When and how to measure cattle correctly
• Turning measurements into longevity and function

3:45 – 4:00 PM — Break

4:00 – 5:00 PM
Identifying Fertile Animals in the Herd + Q&A
• Visual fertility indicators
• Udder and teat structure
• Calving interval and conception rate as selection filters
• Open Q&A + Day 1 Wrap-Up

Day 2 — Thursday, March 26

8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (CST)

Lunch Provided
Theme: Eating Quality + Building Your Ranch Index

8:00 – 8:15 AM
Morning Review + Key Takeaways from Day 1

8:15 – 9:45 AM
Butterfat, Tenderness & Eating Quality — Why They Matter
• Flavor, shelf life, and consumer demand
• Genetics × feed interaction
• Seeing eating-quality indicators on live cattle
• Muscle shape, softness, finish patterns

9:45 – 10:00 AM — Break

10:00 – 11:30 AM
Putting It Together: Creating a Selection Index for Your Ranch
• Practical ranch scorecard system
• Cull rules and replacement rules
• Building a 5-year breeding plan

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM — Lunch Provided

Epigenetics: Applied Ranch Tactics

12:30 – 1:30 PM
Epigenetics Defined for the Rancher
• How environment switches genes on/off
• Why management matters as much as DNA
• Building resilience across generations

1:30 – 2:30 PM
Start as Soon As You Can: Prenatal & Early-Life Windows
• Cow condition at conception and gestation effects
• Early calf development shaping lifetime performance
• Practical actions during breeding and early rearing

2:30 – 2:45 PM — Break

2:45 – 4:00 PM
Pottenger’s Cats + Practical Takeaways + Discussion
• Multi-generational nutrition impacts
• Minerals, toxins, and maternal influence
• Open Q&A + Day 2 Wrap-Up

Day 3 — Friday, March 27

8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (CST)

Lunch Provided
Theme: Minerals, pH, Supplementation & Herd Resilience

8:00 – 8:15 AM
Morning Review + Participant Questions

8:15 – 9:45 AM
The Over-Riding Question: pH of Your Animals
• Rumen acidity and digestion
• Mineral availability, immunity, and disease resistance
• Two controllable problems:

1. Feeding/fermentation → acidosis

2. Mineral imbalance → metabolic weakness

9:45 – 10:00 AM — Break

10:00 – 11:30 AM
Supplementation Strategies
• Mineral re-mineralization systems
• Steve’s practical mineral tub and water recipes
• Natural toxin binders and herd health support
• Affordable ranch-scale implementation

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM — Lunch Provided

12:30 – 1:30 PM
Time Restraints & Priorities: What to Fix First
• Fertility first
• Mineral status second
• Structural selection third
• Fast returns vs multi-year genetic progress

1:30 – 2:30 PM
Monitoring & Feedback Systems
• Body condition scoring
• Coat, eye health, calving metrics
• Behavioral rumen pH proxies
• Recordkeeping that actually works

2:30 – 2:45 PM — Break

2:45 – 4:00 PM
Case Studies, Protocols + Final Wrap-Up
• Real examples from Steve’s consulting work
• Pinkeye reduction through mineral programs
• Improved conception with simple changes
• Final Q&A + Action Planning
• Workshop Conclusion + Next Steps