The 2023 ABBA International Field Day took place on Wednesday, March 1 at Heritage Cattle Company. More than 350 Brahman enthusiasts from around the globe attended the event in person with at least 19 countries represented.
The event speaker presentations and round table discussions were livestreamed on The Brahman Journal Facebook page and reached over 8,500 cattle enthusiasts from around the globe. There are QR codes on the bottom of this page linked to the videos for our readers watching pleasure.
Special thanks to the sponsors of the event, Elgin Breeding Service, Wharton Feed and Supply, Bronco Sue Custom Hats, Champion of the World Competition and Heritage Cattle Company.
The morning speakers were Kylie Patterson who discussed judging tips and PJ Budler who gave an interesting presentation titled “Global Livestock Challenges and Opportunities”.
After the morning session guests enjoyed a lunch of Texas Style Bar B Que and visited with some of the vendors on site.
The afternoon session started with an interview with Carlos Lee, an MLB All Star, world renown Brahman breeder and the ABBA’s 2023 International Friend of the Year. Door prizes were announced during the event and one of the coveted prizes was to win a baseball signed by Carlos Lee.
The final session of the day was a discussion about a variety of topics with a panel of International Brahman breeders, breed executives and industry leaders. Panelists were as follows: Paul Fenech of PB Fenech Brahmans, Australia; Andres Arenas, EVP of Asocebu, Colombia; Arnoldo Beeche, Beeche Brahmans, Costa Rica; Carlos Encalada, Hacienda Don Manuel, Ecuador; Jose Santiago Molina, Ganaderia Palmira, Guatemala; Andres Canahuate, Ganaderia Flor Del Valle, Honduras; Enrique Sanchez, Rancho Chapapote, Mexico; Rodolofo Moreno, Ganadera Moreno, Panama; Marco Barba, Ganaderia San Jose, Mexico; Billy Badilla, Federation of Cattle Raisers Association of the Philippines, Philippines; Brandon Leer, Brandon Leer Auctioneers, South Africa; Bou Jansuvan, Dinsuwan Valley Ranch, Thailand.
There were a number of interesting answers the panelists gave to the question, “What can ABBA do to help you in your country?”
• Require DNA parent verification of all registered animals to assure they are investing in a known product. The importance of genomic indicators was also mentioned in this discussion.
• Provide education in their countries electronic publications, conferences, educational field days (topics mentioned included herd health, feeding and nutrition, selection/ structure, best practices for data collection, show ring guidelines, and standard of excellence.)
• Aid in the development of junior breeder programs like the ABBA’s AJBA program. They want to grow interest for the next generation of breeders in their respective countries. The event was very well received and everyone had a great time visiting with breeders and industry leaders from different parts of the globe.
