FOR THE INDEPENDENT CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF TEXAS

41st ANNUAL

CONVENTION AND TRADE SHOW JUNE 17–19, 2015 SAN MARCOS CONVENTION CENTER Trade Show Hours Featuring 50 wonderful exhibitors Thursday , June 17th to do business with. Stop 7:30am - 5:00pm and visit them for giveaways, Friday , June 18th discounts, and so much more! 7:30am - 10:30am

Be sure to attend the CEU sessions with Dr. Paschal, Dr. Renchie, and Dr. Jason Cleere Wednesday 17th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. to earn 1 CEU per ses- sion. There will be industry and legislative updates throughout the convention and lots of good infor- mation from rebuilding your herd to protecting your assets. Cattlemen’s Conference will be held Thursday 18th from 8:00 a.m. to 9:45 discussing Herd Health---Learn about how a year round bio-health program can increase your calving rates, add to your weaning weights and keep your cows in production longer. This pro- gram is all about efficiency. If you want to make more money in a great market you need to pay attention to these experienced experts as they share their wisdom and answer your questions. Silent Auction The Silent Auction will kick off on Thurday at 1:00 p.m. This auction always offers lots of useful and unique items to bid on. Be sure and get your name in the hat! Winners will be announced at the social that evening.

1 Things to Do Hotel Registration Embassy Suites in San Marcos San Marcos While in the San Marcos area, there are a variety of individual and family activities that are 1001 McCarty Lane, San Marcos, TX 78666 both fun and educational. Reservations should be made directly with the hotel. For links to these and other attractions,visit www.toursanmarcos.com Room Rate: $142 Call: 512-392-6450 Glass Bottom Boat Tours at (ask for ICA 41st Annual Convention and Trade Show rate) Aquarena Springs OR Visit: www.sanmarcosembassysuites.com Since 1946 the glass bottom boat tours at Aquarena Center in San Marcos have given folks 1. Enter your arrival and departure dates of all ages an “in-depth” look at the timeless 2. Select your preferences (King bed etc.) beauty of the San Marcos river. Bluegill Sunfish, Channel Catfish, Soft Shell turtles, all call 3. Group ID: ICA Aquarena home. Back on shore, you can get 4. Continue to enter payment information eye to eye with these river dwellers when you visit the Aquarium. Learn together when you Reservations must be made no later than May 25! visit the Archaeology Exhibit, Wetlands Floating Reservations must be guaranteed by credit card or first Boardwalk or the Texas Rivers Center exhibit night’s full deposit. Cancellations made within 48 hours of hall. In the Endangered Species Exhibit you’ll see scheduled arrival will be assessed one night’s room and some of the fish and reptiles that make this part tax. of the river a federally declared critical habitat. Aquarena is located in San Marcos, TX: take exit Check in time is 3 p.m.; Checkout is noon 206, Aquarena Springs Drive, west from IH35. Open 7 days a week. Directions: Take Interstate 35; exit at McCarty Lane. Wonder World Park Enjoy a guided tour and discover the nation’s Hilton Honors Program Participant only true example of an earthquake formed cave. Exit by the “Stratavator” and ride high into the sky to the Tejas Observation Tower. Be amazed by the Topsy-Turvy World of the Antigravity House where everything is backwards, even water flows up hill! Board the train and splash through the waterfalls of Mystery Mountain on your way to the Texas Wildlife Petting Park. Educational and fun for ALL ages, Wonder World Park Cave and Attractions is just minutes from I-35 in San Marcos between Austin and San Antonio. We are open year round. Other Exciting Attractions  McKenna Children’s Museum  Commemorative Air Force Exhibit  LBJ Museum of San Marcos  Schlitterbahn  Sea World-San Antonio  Thunder Hill Raceway

Coupons Available (For Select attractions) 2 52 Card Drawing We will be raffling off two rifles and turquoise jewelry set with a 52 card drawing. There will be three decks sold. Two decks will be for the rifles and one for the jewelry. The cards will be $20 each.

We will begin selling cards at registration on Thursday morning and the winners will be drawn Thursday evening during the auction. There are only 52 cards for each drawing, so the odds are in your favor! Grab Your Clubs! The popular annual ICA Golf Tournament, sponsored by Central Life Sciences and Lyssy & Eckel Feeds, will be on Wednesday, June 17th, 8:30. Held at the Plum Creek Golf Course in Kyle. No denim allowed. You must wear a collared shirt. Located on more than 200 acres, Plum Creek winds through the beautiful Texas Hill Country. The course features 18 unique championship golf holes. Registration for the golf tournament is $100. Range balls, lunch and golf carts will be provided. Teams will be assigned in advance, so be sure to include your handicap! Prizes will be awarded on Wednesday during the welcome by ICA President, starting at 5:45 pm. Awards given to the winning teams and the longest drive and closest to the pin. Get ready to tee up! Join us for the Live Auction Thursday evening we will have dinner, drinks, drawdown, live and silent auctions and will award some well deserved businesses for their support. Money collected at the live auction helps to operate the ICA office so that we may continue to provide representation and fight for your wellbeing. All donations of items to the auction are welcomed. Drawdown Event Don’t miss your opportunity to win a 2015 Camouflage 570 EFI 4x4 Polaris Ranger® ATV donated by Southeast Texas ICA and Tuttle Motor & Hardware, Poteet, Texas. The Polaris comes with a transport trailer donated by the South Central Texas ICA. Only 500 tickets will be sold and are available for $75 each or two for $125. We expect a sellout, so order your tickets when you send in your convention registration. Great prizes are awarded every 25th ticket drawn. (All prizes valued at a minimum of $200) Tickets will be drawn on Thursday, June 18th during the evening social event. You need not be present to win but it sure would be fun to attend 3 an awesome convention and leave with a wonderful prize! ICA 41st Annual Convention & Trade Show SCHEDULE

Wednesday – June 17 Thursday – June 18 (continued) 8:30 a.m.– 1:00 p.m. ICA Golf Tournament – Plum Creek Golf Course 2:00–2:45 • State of the Industry Sponsored by Lyssy & Eckel Feeds and Leo McDonald – USCA Director Emeritus Central Life Sciences 2:45–3:15 • Texas Beef Check-off 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Trade Show Exhibitor Set Up – Veramendi Richard Wortham – Texas Beef Council Salons F-J 3:15–4:15 • Animal Diseases Health Report 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Registration-Registration Desk Dr. Dee Ellis-Texas Animal Health 52 Card Drawing Fundraiser Starts Commission 4:15 p.m.–5:00 p.m. Full Meeting of the Board of Directors 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. CEU Sessions – Veramendi A&B and House of Delegates – Veramendi A&B 1:00–2:00 • Rebuilding Your Cow Herd (1 CEU) • President’s Address Joe Paschal – Animal Science TAMU • Executive Directors Report 2:00–3:00 • Laws & Regulations (1 CEU) • Association Business and Resolutions Dr. Don Renchie – Texas AgriLife Ext. • Election of Board of Directors and TAMU Officers 3:00–4:00 • Cattle Pest & Parasite Control (1 CEU) 6:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m. Social, Auction, Dinner and Drawdown – Dr. Jason Cleere – Texas AgriLife Ext. Trade Show Area TAMU Sponsored by Capital Farm Credit 4:15 p.m.–5:00 p.m. Board of Directors Meeting/Committee • Agribusiness Council Awards Meeting • Live Auction Spring Lake C – Open to all members • ICA Drawdown 5:45 p.m. Welcome by Paul Looney – Trade Show • 52 Card Winners Announced Area • Silent Auction Winners Announced ICA President 9:30 p.m.–12:00 a.m. Hospitality Room Open Hosted by CTICA All Breed Bull & Female 6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. Dinner Buffet – Trade Show Area Sale 7:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. Dance – Trade Show Area Frank Cavitt & the Honky-Tonk Doctors Sponsored by Red Bird Ranch Friday – June 19 10:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m. Hospitality Room Open 7:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Trade Show Opens – Expo Hall B Hosted by CTICA All Breed Bull & Female 8:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. Registration – Registration Desk Sale 8:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. General Session III – Veramendi A&B Sponsored by Boehringer-Ingelheim Thursday – June 18 8:30–9:15 • U.S. Beef Worldwide Trade Joe Schuele-USMEF 7:30 a.m. Trade Show Opens – Veramendi Salons F-J 9:15–9:45 • Texas Ag Today 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Registration – Registration Desk Sid Miller-Texas Ag Commissioner 52 Card Raffle Sale Begins 9:45–10:00 • ICA Honors Our Veterans 8:00 a.m.–9:45 a.m. Cattlemen’s Conference – Veramendi A&B Paul Looney-ICA President Sponsored by Merial & Novartis Animal Health 10:00 a.m.–noon General Session IV – Veramendi A&B 10:00–10:45 • Your Property Rights 9:45 a.m.–10:00 a.m. Break – Trade Show Area Ed Small, Jackson Walker L.L.P. Sponsored by Sage Capital Bank, Gonzales 10:45–11:15 • Update on Legislative Session 10:00 a.m.–noon General Session I – Veramendi A&B Bob Turner-Rural Issues Consultant 10:00–10:30 • LivestockForage Disaster Program Judith Canales – USDA – FSA 11:15 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Check out of Rooms 10:30–11:15 • Protect Your Ranch, Family, Legacy Nick Valenti – Platinum Wealth Solutions 11:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Headliners Luncheon – Veramendi Salon E 11:15–noon • Agriculture Terrorism Sponsored by Platinum Wealth Solutions and M. Diiane Ventresca-SA, FBI Braun & Gresham Attorneys At-Law • Guest Speaker: Noon–1:00 p.m. Lunch Sponsored by Z-Tags/Datamars Sr Brandon Byers, Ret. USAF 1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. Exclusive Trade Show Hour – Trade Show • Trailblazer Awards Area • Cattlemen’s Council Awards Sponsored by Westway Feeds • President’s Council Awards • Steffany Lynn Sklar Memorial 1:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Silent Auction Opens Scholarship 2:00 p.m.-4:15 p.m. General Session II – Veramendi A&B Sponsored by StaTite50/San Antonio Steel 2:00 p.m. 2015 Convention Closes

4 Guest Speaker SrA Brandon Byers, Retired Retired SrA Brandon W. Byers was born on November 13th, 1983 at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. He grew up in Waxahachie, Texas with his parents, Gary and Diana Byers, and younger sister, Kathryn. He graduated from Waxahachie High School in 2002 and completed two years of community college before deciding to join the military.

Brandon Byers enlisted in the United States Air Force on May 10, 2005, he completed basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, and went on to complete Security Force Technical Training in October of 2005. The first duty station Brandon was assigned to was Nellis Air Force Base located in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the 99th Security Forces Group. EDUCATION Brandon was deployed in 2006 under the 586 ESFS Army Command. He was trained as a 50 Cal. turret gunner and was assigned to the ASO Bachelors Degree in (Area Security Operations) unit at Camp Bucca, Iraq. After five and a Emergency Administration half months of conducting operations outside the wire, he was injured and Disaster Planning and by an IED (Improvised Explosive Devise) located inside a concrete curb a Minor in Criminal Justice, on the side of the road. Brandon’s body was riddled with shrapnel, University of North Texas causing severe nerve and muscle tissue damage to his left leg and right hand. Three years later, despite numerous surgeries and months Public Speaking Certification, of physical and occupational therapy to overcome his injuries, the Roever Learning and United States Air Force medically retired SrA Byers on September 28, Resource Center 2009. In February of 2013, after over six years of MAJOR AWARDS AND limb salvage surgeries, DECORATIONS Brandon had his left leg amputated above the knee • Purple Heart to improve his quality of • Air Force Commendation x2 life moving forward. • Army Commendation Presently, Brandon with • Air Force Combat Action his wife Megan and their Medal two children make their home in the Dallas-Fort • Army Combat Action Badge Worth area of Texas. • National Defense Service Brandon loves America Medal and lives to inspire others • Iraq Campaign Medal with his powerful story of overcoming a life-altering • Global War on Terrorism injury in the service of Service Medal his country. The Byers • Air Force Expeditionary family is currently working Service Ribbon with Gold with Roever Foundation Border as an essential part of • Air Force Longevity Ribbon its Operation Warrior RECONnect programs and • Small Arms Expert 5 Ribbon Patriot Tours. Dance Frank Cavitt and the Honky Tonk Doctors To kick off convention on Wednesday evening, we have for your dancing pleasure, a great band featuring some of the best musicians Texas has to offer. Frank Cavitt on keyboard and vocals plays regularly at Donn’s Depot, Broken Spoke, Cotton Club, and various other places, including private parties. Frank has released a new album of songs he has written, all of which should reach #1! Frank learned to play and sing at a very early age as he grew up in a “house with music” and has been playing the Austin area for over 30 years. Erik Hokkanen on , , and vocals plays regularly at Donn’s Depot, and Gruene Hall, among other places. Erik’s music is featured on soundtracks from “Michael”, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre III”, “DOA”, and “The Newton Boys”. Erik began playing music with his mother and siblings Charlie Irwin plays the electric bass with the rest at the age of 4 and, in addition to fiddle and guitar, of the band every 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Wednesdays is skillful on the . Erik is a member of the at Donn’s Depot. Charlie has been a professional Texas Swing Hall of Fame and has been a 3 time musician for 50 years. He also plays regularly at “Instrumentalist of the Year” award winner and the Broken Spoke and he plays a wide variety of “Performer of the Year” at the Kerrville Folk Festival. music with other bands around the Austin area. He Rick Connell is the drummer for the band and when has backed up touring performers such as Freddy living in Nashville played with such greats as Boots Fender, Kitty Wells, Buddy Emmons, and others. In Randolph, Chet Atkins, and Ronnie Milsap. Rick addition to being a great bassist, Charlie is a sound achieved a music degree from North Texas State. engineer, teacher, tutor, and librarian. He taught High School and College music for many You will hear a variety of music including country, years and was in the Army band in Europe. In bluegrass, swing, , and blues. These guys addition to playing at Donn’s Depot, Rick free lances love to make music and they play with an energy with other bands. that will have your foot tapping at the very least!

THANKS TO ALL OUR SPONSORS!

Larry Windham & Associates INSURANCE

6 NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID LOCKHART, TX P.O. Box 1168 PERMIT NO.187 Lockhart, TX 78644-1168 Convention Registration Information

JOIN THE FUN! ICA’s annual convention and trade show is the event of the year! Everyone is welcome. When you participate in the events, you quickly see that everyone is there for fun, fellowship and education. So come on out to San Marcos, attend the sessions, participate in drawdown and have a great time! 41st ANNUAL CONVENTION AND TRADE SHOW JUNE 17–19, 2015 SAN MARCOS CONVENTION CENTER Embassy Suites |1001 McCarty Lane