Kansas Livestock Association hosting annual convention in Manhattan

MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Kansas Livestock Association is bringing its annual convention to Manhattan next month for the first time in the organization's 130-year history.

The KLA Convention and Expo will run Nov. 19-21 at the Manhattan Convention Center, featuring educational sessions, networking opportunities and policy meetings for cattle producers and industry stakeholders.

The three-day event will open Wednesday evening with the Cattlemen's Banquet, where longtime KLA members will be honored and a scholarship will be awarded. Nevil Speer, an agricultural consultant from Kentucky, will deliver the keynote address focusing on improvements in beef quality.

The convention will include several educational programs, including Beef Industry University, which will feature a market outlook presentation, and the Consumer Trends Forum, led by Kansas State University agricultural economist Glynn Tonsor. Tonsor will provide analysis of current beef demand in the U.S. using USDA data and resources from the Meat Demand Monitor.

The organization will recognize members who have belonged to KLA for 50, 60, 70, 80 or 90 years, along with top membership recruiters and Kansas Livestock Foundation scholarship winners.

An expo will run throughout the convention, giving attendees the opportunity to visit with vendors about equipment, technology and services for the livestock industry.

Registration is available online at www.kla.org or by calling (785) 273-5115. Early bird tickets start at $75, with prices increasing after Nov. 1.

Hundreds of KLA members from across Kansas are expected to attend the event, which will also include the election of new leadership for the coming year.