BIG SPRING–A symposium dealing with the Conservation Reserve Program is set for Oct. 10 at the Dora Roberts Community Center in Comanche Trail Park here. Registration starts at 9:30 a.m.
The scheduled keynote speaker is Rep. Charles Stenholm, D- Texas. He will present a Washington update on the CRP program’s status.
Big Spring is one of only seven sites in the nation to host the special seminar on CRP land management and the future of the program. Coordinators are the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, The Texas A&M University System, New Mexico State University and the Cooperative Extension Services of Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma State Universities. Cooperators are the Society for Range Management and USDA’s Farm Service Agency and Natural Resource Conservation Service.
Holders of CRP lands must soon decide what to do with their property once contracts expire. The symposium’s purpose is to offer contract holders answers on what course to follow once this program is over. Major areas of interest include policies, regulations, conservation compliance and post contract options such as haying, grazing and cropping.
Specific topics during the morning include: “CRP Transition to Today,” “FAIR96-Policies and Regulations Impacting CRP,” “Role of Conservation Compliance in CRP” and Stenholm’s Washington report.
After lunch the program resumes with research reports from Gary Donart and Rex Kirksey, New Mexico State University; Rob Mitchell, Texas Tech University; Jim Stiegler, Oklahoma State University and Arden Colette, West Texas A&M University.
The day’s final session, “Considering Your Future Uses for CRP, A Decision Making Process,” will be conducted by Paul Ohlenbusch and Rodney Jones of Kansas State University. The day ends with closing remarks at 3 p.m.
The other six sites and their dates are: Goodland, Kansas Sept. 30; Eads, Colo., Oct. 1; Garden City, Kansas, Oct. 3; Claude, Oct. 7; Guymon, Okla., Oct. 8 and Portales, New Mexico, Oct. 9.
Registration is $20 and includes a noon meal.
For further information contact Charles Hart, Extension Range Specialist at Fort Stockton (915) 336-8585 or Don Richardson, Howard County Extension Agent (915) 264-2236.
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