Day 2: June 25, 2025
- Full day of hands on learning for attendees at multiple off site locations.
- Equine
- Beef Cattle Production
- Poultry Science
- Small Ruminants and Livestock Guardian Dogs
- Swine
- Each attendee will choose their preferred track.
- Limit of 20 per excursion. First to register will be guaranteed their choice.
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Networking Dinner provided
Excursion Information
Equine |
Beef Cattle Production |
Poultry Science |
Small Ruminants & Livestock Guardian Dogs |
Swine |
| Get ready for an unforgettable deep dive into the dynamic world of the equine industry! This hands-on excursion offers a behind-the-scenes tour of the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and the state-of-the-art Large Animal Hospital, where you’ll explore specialized areas of equine veterinary care. Hear directly from experienced veterinary technicians and gather innovative lab activity ideas to enhance your curriculum. You’ll also get exclusive access to the EQNR Facility for an up-close look at horse herd management in action. Plus, gain valuable insights from the latest Equine Industry Economic Impact Study. Whether you’re an educator, animal science enthusiast, or equine professional, this immersive experience will leave you inspired and informed! | Step into the heart of one of America’s most successful beef cattle operations with this exclusive excursion to 44 Farms, a premier registered Angus producer renowned for ethically raised, all-natural Black Angus beef. Discover the full scope of what it takes to run a top-tier cattle operation—from cutting-edge genetics and sire/dam selection to advanced reproduction techniques, daily herd management, and robust biosecurity practices. You’ll tour the impressive facilities, engage in in-depth discussions about both live cattle and beef sales, and gain valuable insights into the business behind the beef. Whether you’re passionate about animal science, agriculture, or food production, this behind-the-scenes experience at 44 Farms is not to be missed! | This excursion will highlight basic husbandry with poultry, types of poultry, differences with commercial and backyard production, stock show poultry processes, AgriLife resources available to teachers and concept preview of TAMU new poultry processing under development at RELLIS campus. Hands on lab activities may include the following: egg candling, TAMU poultry science facility tour, egg development stages and anatomy lessons via necropsy. | This excursion will include a tour of an alternative method to raise commercial sheep through repurposing of existing poultry houses. Participants will tour a facility to see internal operations and development of a successful commercial sheep operation in an area that is typically not suitable for sheep production due to environmental factors. The livestock guardian dog portion will discuss breeding, selection and behavior associated with working dogs and facility tour with TAMU livestock guardian dog extension specialist. | This excursion will include an in-depth tour of the TAMU swine facility with an emphasis on biosecurity, disease prevention, and disease traceability. Participants will tour the swine facility and then reconvene to discuss global animal disease threats, principals and application of swine farm biosecurity and animal handling, implementation of Pork Checkoff materials into teaching programs, disease traceability, and the interactions of the show pig and commercial pork industries. Participants will be asked to complete online Pork Quality Assurance training before the excursion. |
| Location: TAMU College of Veterinary Medicine & Hildebrand Equine Center | Location: 44 Farms, Cameron, TX | Location: TAMU Poultry Science Facility College Station, TX | Locations: Rockdale and Brenham | Location: TAMU Swine Center/ Beef Center-Classroom. |
| Lead Instructors: Hanna Galloway, TAMU Equine Institute Program Manager, Chelsie Huseman, Assistant Professor & Extension Horse Specialist | Lead Instructors: Tracy Woods, Chief Genetics Officer, 44 Farms | Lead Instructors: Dr. Greg Archer, TAMU Professor and Extension Specialist | Lead Instructors: Cade Morris and Bill Constanzo, Livestock Guardian Dog Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension | Lead Instructor: Dr. Jeff Wiegert |
| VSCP Personnel: Hanna Galloway | VSCP Personnel: Nikki Boutwell | VSCP Personnel: Dee Ellis, DVM, MPA | VSCP Personnel: David Sessum, LVT | VSCP Personnel: Susan Culp, DVM |
| 8:30 Welcome and Overview | agenda coming soon! | agenda coming soon! | agenda coming soon! | 8:00 Global swine disease threat updates |
| 9:00 CVM Tour and Hands on Lab Ideas | 9:00 National tools for pig biosecurity and traceability | |||
| 10:00 Large Animal Hospital Tour | 10:00 Focus on farm biosecurity at the Swine Unit | |||
| 11:00 Educational Swine Farm discussion | ||||
| 11:45 Lunch | 12:00 Lunch | |||
| 1:30 Tour of the Hildebrand Equine Complex | 1:00 Creating enhanced biosecurity plans | |||
| 2:00 Overview of TAMU Facility and Horse Herd Management | ||||
| 3:30 Return to Hildebrand | 3:00 Wrap Up and return to campus |