Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, s-byrns@tamu.edu
Contact: Rebel Royall, 432-354-2381, r-royall@tamu.edu
GARDEN CITY – The Texas AgriLife Extension Service will conduct the multi-county 2012 West Texas Livestock and Range Conference July 17 in Garden City.
The program starts at 8 a.m. at the Glasscock County Community Center, 117 S. Myrl Street, then departs on a tour of the McDowell Ranch at 8:50 a.m. and returns to the center at 11:45 a.m. for lunch and the remainder of the program.
Counties involved with the program are Glasscock, Howard, Midland, Martin, Upton, Reagan and Ector.
“Conditions have sure changed since last year’s conference when we, like most of Texas, were getting hammered by the record-setting drought,” said Rebel Royall, AgriLife Extension agent in Glasscock County. “We visited three stops on the McDowell Ranch last year when conditions were going from bad to worse. This year, we’re going back to those same three stops to see what conditions are like after some moisture.
“This year’s overall theme will center around range health and recovery, basically where we go from here in terms of ranching in Far West Texas.”
The McDowell Ranch tour topics will be brush and weed management, proper cattle stocking rates and determining forage production and the treatments needed to increase production.
The afternoon program topics and speakers will include: feral hog damage to native range, Tim McDermott, Wildlife Services, Howard County; pesticide laws and regulations, Perry Cervantes, Texas Department of Agriculture; Can a $2,500 Cow Breakeven?, Drs. Stan Bevers and Rob Hogan, AgriLife Extension economists at Vernon and Fort Stockton, respectively; rangeland health, Dr. Alyson McDonald, AgriLife Extension range specialist, Fort Stockton; beef cattle herd health and management, Dr. Bruce Carpenter, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, Fort Stockton; and brush and weed control chemicals to be presented by chemical company representatives.
The program will conclude with the speakers together on a panel discussion. Their topics will include changes in forage condition from 2011 to 2012, cattle management production scenarios and brush and weed control scenarios. The session ends with a speaker/participant question and answer period.
A number of Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be available for those with a valid private applicators license.
Individual preregistration is $25 by July 10 and $35 thereafter.
To preregister and for more information, call Royall at the AgriLife Extension office in Glasscock County at 432-354-2381, or call any of the AgriLife Extension offices in the participating counties.
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