The workshop, �Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle,� will be held in Billings, MT September 11 - 12. This will be the eighth national meeting the Task Force has coordinated throughout the U.S. in response to popular demand. Billings provides a great setting for the program given the large seedstock and cow calf industries in the state and region.

The excellent pregnancy rates possible with today's synchronization systems and the increasing opportunities to get paid for specific known genetics make estrous synchronization and AI (artificial insemination) even more valuable tools than they have been in the past.

This meeting is for anyone interested in beef cattle reproduction and estrous synchronization, including producers, veterinarians, AI technicians and Extension personnel.

The workshops are designed to improve the understanding of the physiological processes of the estrous cycle, currently available procedures to synchronize estrus and ovulation and the proper application of these systems. They will also focus on improving participants' understanding of methods to assess male fertility and how it affects the success of AI programs.

First-day topics will include information on the physiological principles underlying estrous synchronization, a detailed review of current estrous synchronization systems, costs, nutrition and reproduction interactions, and dealing with non-cycling females, among others.

Day two sessions will include presentations on breeding soundness exams, sexed semen, industry application of technology in male reproduction, embryo transfer and the use of ultrasound for early pregnancy diagnosis and fetal sexing.

Interested persons can check the Web site http://westcentral.unl.edu/beefrepro/ for more information. John Paterson, Montana State University Extension Beef Specialist is the local contact and can be reached at 406-994-5562; [email protected].