Join us for the Second Annual Beef Sustainability Summit in Dallas!
This year, we sharpen our focus by connecting the dots across the beef supply chain—from ranchers to retailers—to move beyond the buzzwords and build mutual understanding and shared solutions.
We are bringing together voices from multiple segments of the beef supply chain: ranchers and land stewards, processors, retailers, investors, and corporate sustainability professionals.
This gathering is designed to foster honest dialogue, practical learning, and mutual understanding around what sustainability truly means at each stage of the beef journey.
Companies across the supply chain are working toward sustainability using a range of tools, including third-party verifications, internal sourcing standards, animal welfare audits, and ecosystem service metrics.
Meanwhile, producers are actively implementing practices that support soil health, improve forage management, reduce input use, and enhance animal care, while adapting to shifting environmental and economic conditions with limited resources. As these expectations evolve, alignment between producers, processors, and retailers is critical. The Summit is a step toward building that alignment through shared understanding and authentic conversations.
Whether you’re a large-scale cattle producer, a direct-to-consumer rancher, a retailer shaping sustainability claims, or a third-party verifier navigating consumer expectations, this event will provide critical insights into the evolving landscape of beef sustainability. Expect a mix of panels, case studies, and unfiltered conversations that connect market demands with ranch-level realities.
Tentative Agenda (subject to change):
12/8/25
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Registration Open; Lunch
1:00 PM – 1:15 PM | Welcome; Summit Planning Committee and Dr. Clay Mathis, Texas A&M Department of Animal Science
1:15 PM – 1:45 PM | Inside the boardroom: How do beef retailers set sustainability goals? – Lora Wright, Where Food Comes From Director of Sustainable Animal Proteins | Grant Keenen, Cattle Procurement, Walmart | Missy Bonds, Bonds Ranch | Moderated by Wayne Morgan, FMG Global
1:45 PM – 2:15 PM | Sustainability Requires Succession: A Failure to Plan is a Plan to Fail | Steve Collins, Co-Owner, CCT Ranch
2:15 PM – 2:45 PM | Where cost share programs deliver, and where they fall short – Morgan Treadwell, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, San Angelo | Jeff Goodwin, Texas A&M Center for Grazingland and Ranch Management
2:45 PM – 3:00 PM | The Texas A&M Beef Cattle Efficiency Initiative – Jason Smith, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Break
3:15 PM – 3:45 PM | Soil • Water • Livestock: Tools for Modern Ranch Management – James Clement III, Senior VP, Grass and Rangeland, EarthOptics
3:45 PM – 3:50 PM | Remote monitoring for easier water management – Tim Lockhart, Ranchbot
3:50 PM – 4:00 PM | The role of extension in ranch sustainability efforts – Cody Maxwell, Fannin County Extension Agent, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM | What the sale barn sees: Value drivers from the ring to the road – Beth Brian, Director, Sales and Marketing, Superior Livestock Auction, LLC | Hank McWhorter, Mc6 Feedyard | Megan Atchison, Wichita Livestock Sales Co. | Moderated by Ron Gill, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM | Verification, certification, confusion? What is trust, and what is red tape – Kristina Bierschwale, VP of Sales & Business Development, Where Food Comes From
5:00 PM – 5:30 PM | Transparency, traceability, and who profits from ranch data – Gregg Barfield, President, BlockTrust Network
5:30 PM | Day 1 Wrap-Up & Reflections
12/9/25
7:15 AM | Depart AgriLife Center for Melissa Feeders
8:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Tour Melissa Feeders, Melissa, TX
10:45 AM – 11:15 AM | Travel to McKinney, TX
11:15 PM – 12:10 PM | BBQ Lunch from Local Yocal at The Augustus, McKinney, TX
12:10 – 12:45 PM | Return to AgriLife Center
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM | Feedlot, stocker, and cow-calf sector alignment: Toward a stronger partnership – Jack Cowen, Cowen Cattle Company | Scott Polhman, Cargill | Jason Smith, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension | Moderated by Jacquelyn Prestegaard, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM | Built for This: How Adapted Livestock Drive Regenerative Success and Resilient Businesses – Caitlin Word, Noble Research Institute
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM | Understanding Grazing Behavior in Beef Cattle: Drivers, Dynamics, and New Technological Insights. – Pablo Guarnido-López, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Beeville
2:30 PM – 2:45 PM | Innovation to Impact: How Ranchers Use Halter to Become More Productive and Sustainable – Mikaele Ymker, Halter
2:45 PM – 3:15 PM | Break
3:15 PM – 3:45 PM | Rangeland resilience: Managed grazing for drought, soil & forage – Merilynn Schantz, USDA ARS Temple
3:45 PM – 4:15 PM | How is the industry responding to development of working lands? – Chad Ellis, Texas Ag Land Trust
4:15 PM – 5:00 PM | From talk to action: What’s next for producers, industry & partners? – Clay Burtrum, Burtrum Cattle LLC | Rob Manes, The Nature Conservancy | Carlos Saviani, Cargill | Moderated by Emily Johannes, Trust in Food
5:00 PM: Conclude
Industry professionals, students, extension personnel, and cattle producers are welcome.
Registration before 11/21/25 is $200. Registration after 11/21/25 is $250. A $50 virtual option is available.
Rancher Resilience Grant: Cattle producers are eligible to have $445 of their registration and travel costs reimbursed through the Rancher Resilience Grant from National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. More information can be found here. To qualify, the application MUST be sent to NCBA no later than 11/17/25.
Location: Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas | 17360 Coit Road, Dallas, Texas 75252
Hotel Block available at $123/night until 11/17 at the SpringHill Suites Dallas Richardson/University Area <–(click link for rates).
18180 Highland Springs Way
Dallas, Texas, USA, 75252
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Special student, extension employee, and faculty pricing is available. For more information or if you are interested in sponsoring the summit, contact Dr. Jacquelyn Prestegaard-Wilson at j.prestegaard@tamu.edu.
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