The Generation Next: Our Turn to Ranch 12-week online course is open for registration. The program, offered by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, takes place Jan. 23-April 16.
The course fee is $300, and online registration is required at https://tx.ag/GenerationNext2023. The course includes expert instruction on everything from starting a new agriculture business or enterprise to tax implications and insurance needs to developing grazing or wildlife leases.
“Land throughout Texas is changing hands all the time, and not everyone who becomes a landowner is immersed in its history or agriculture production,” said Megan Clayton, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension range specialist, Uvalde. “We’ve developed this Generation Next curriculum to target new landowners, those who are inheriting land or those who are looking to start a new agricultural operation on an existing ranch.”
The online school enables participants to work toward developing a business plan with support from professionals who specialize in each field and topic, Clayton said.
She said participants can expect to spend roughly two hours per week on the lessons and activities, anytime day or night.
Enrollees will learn from experts regarding land management techniques and resources, alternative ranching, ecotourism opportunities and direct marketing. They will also learn how to set goals with measurable objectives for success.
Upon course completion, participants will have a useful business plan for their operation and receive a Generation Next certificate and T-shirt.
Praise from a past participant
Corrine Wright, a 2020 Generation Next alumna based in South Carolina, said although the program is designed with Texas landowners in mind, it offers a deep dive into the fundamentals of running an agricultural business applicable to new and semi-established landowners everywhere.
“As a new farmer, developing a business plan is very daunting,” Wright said. “I very much enjoyed the format of the class where each lesson built upon one aspect of the business plan, breaking it into smaller, manageable pieces.”
Two years later, Wright credits Generation Next with her ranch’s growth and maintains contact with Clayton and additional experts she met through the course.
For more information, contact Clayton at 830-988-6123 or Megan.Clayton@ag.tamu.edu.
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