ROSEBURG, Ore. -- "Making Cents in Ranching" is the theme of this year's Spring Livestock Conference, scheduled for April 28 in Douglas Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

The conference, organized by the Douglas County Livestock Association, is set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

At 10 a.m., Joe Campbell, of Cattle Professional Services, will speak on current issues in internal parasites and Rich Linhart, of Pfizer Animal Health, will speak on developments in antibiotic therapy.

At 11 a.m., Jo Lynn Seufer, of the USDA Risk Management Agency, will speak on livestock risk protection for feeder cattle and lambs and Bill Burdett, of Merck Animal Health will present "Myths About Implants."

After a break for lunch, the four-hour "Ranching For Profit" workshop will be conducted by Dave Pratt, president of Ranch Management Consultants of Fairfield, Calif.

"A ranch using practices that were profitable in the '70s and '80s loses money in today's environment," said Pratt, adding that input costs for ranches have increased five times faster than cattle prices, and land values have risen even faster.

According to Pratt, most ranches are expensive hobbies subsidized with free family labor and off-farm income. Through the Ranching For Profit School, Pratt helps participants transform their ranches into profitable businesses. He said he doesn't have a one-size-fits-all recipe for success, but can offer insights and practical tools that have been developed and refined by the experiences of thousands of Ranching For Profit School alumni from all over the world who are profitable.

Admission to the conference is free. Donations to the Douglas County Livestock Association's Animal Damage Control Fund will be accepted.

For more information or to make lunch reservations, call Rex Heard at the Douglas County Farmers Co-op at 541-464-6748, Parkway Animal Hospital at 541-672-1621 or Cathy Sandberg at 541-673-3604.

-- Craig Reed