Equine leaders will discuss the importance and sustainability of the working ranch horse at NIAA’s Annual Conference in April.

The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) will welcome an in-depth discussion during the council meeting for the reestablished Equine Working Group regarding the sustainability of the working ranch horse and the significant investment required to have these animals on the ranch.

Supply chain bottlenecks and downed manufacturing plants during the early days of Covid-19 have led to significant price increases for on-farm machinery and the investment costs for the working ranch horse has steadily followed the machinery trends.

“Anyone who has worked on a large ranch or feedlot knows the importance of having a well-trained horse to move and work the cattle,” said Jared Wareham, NuEra Business Development Manager for Genus/ABS Global who also serves as NIAA board member and on the annual conference planning committee. “Various factors are leading to the increased cost of investment, and it is starting to price the animal out of reach for smaller farms and ranches.”

Tyson Johnson, Sooner Cattle Company will moderate the Council panel on April 20. Panelists include Jed Roark, O RO Ranch; Turner Armitage, A Bar Ranch and AQHA Ranching Committee Chair; and Shawn Tiffany, Tiffany Cattle Co. Additionally, Joe Leathers, general manager of the 6666 Ranch of Yellowstone fame will serve as the opening keynote on the second day of Annual Conference. Leathers has been with the Guthrie, Texas ranch for more than two decades. His keynote will discuss the significance of the ranch horse and how important they are to the success of each ranch.

Join our equine and fellow animal agriculture leaders at NIAA’s Annual Conference to learn more about Climate-Smart Animal Agriculture. Receive the extended early bird registration rate by using the code HORSE23 at checkout. For more information about the 2023 Annual Conference, visit AnimalAgriculture.org. For registration questions or to receive a media pass, please contact Morgan Young, Director of Communications and Outreach for NIAA at morgan.young@animalagriculture.org