By Lydia Hill, 2025 Sunbelt Ag Expo Social Media Intern
This summer, I had the honor to interview Mr. Curt Pate and feature him in my “Stocking up on Stockmanship” article. Pate is a professional livestock handling expert from Ryegate, Montana. He spends his time conducting livestock handling clinics nationwide. Coming from a cow-calf operation in Marshville, NC, cattle are my greatest passion within the agricultural industry.
I am looking forward to seeing Curt in action this week at the Expo and learning new skills to share with my family back home. Many cattle families struggle to understand the importance of communication when working with their animals. It’s a common joke to say, “We didn’t mean what we said while working cows,” but handling herd animals in a loud, stressful environment can make the job much more challenging. Curt does a fantastic job of communicating the need for a quiet, non-stressful environment. Cattle move much better when there is no hydraulic chute running, people are not raising their voices, and other fast-paced distractions are absent. If you’re interested in learning more about stockmanship, visit Pate at the Beef Pavilion every day at 2 p.m.
Although I’m thrilled to watch Pate, I am also excited to learn more about other commodities that I am not as familiar with. I also wrote a story about aquaculture and spoke with Chef Wilton about his catfish cooking demonstration. Being from North Carolina, I have not had much exposure to the aquaculture industry. I found it intriguing to talk to Chef Wilton and Dr. David Cline from Auburn University, and I look forward to seeing them in action. If you’re looking for a snack, visit the Aquaponic Pavilion at 10:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., and 12:45 p.m. each day.
