The seventh annual Hill Country Land Stewardship Conference will be held April 13-14 in Kerrville. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service event will be held at the Y.O. Ranch Hotel, 2033 Sidney Baker St.
The conference is from 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on April 13, and from 7:15 a.m.-5 p.m. on April 14.
The cost is $125, and participants must preregister at https://tx.ag/2023HillCountryStewardship. Participants are responsible for their own accommodations.
All meals and break refreshments are included in the registration fee. Participants should contact Linda Francis at l-francis@tamu.edu regarding any food allergies or special dietary needs.
Three general Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be offered and two Texas Real Estate Commission continuing education credits for licensed real estate agents.
The Hill Country is a special part of Texas with an attraction to millions of individuals who ranch and come to vacation, hunt, rest and relax each year, said Larry Redmon, Ph.D., professor and associate head for AgriLife Extension in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
“Along with the spectacular beauty of the area that attracts all the visitors, we know the Hill Country presents its own particular needs for management by landowners, and we want to help them be better prepared,” Redmon said.
Topics and tours
The first day of the conference will feature discussions, lectures and hands-on experiences.
April 13 topics covered will include:
- Keynote: Texas Agricultural Land Trust, Chad Ellis,Texas Agricultural Land Trust CEO, San Antonio.
- AgriTourism — Emily Grant, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Gillespie County.
- Top Laws – Tiffany Lashmet, J.D., AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist, Amarillo.
- Changes in Texas Rural Landscapes: People, Places, Perspectives – Roel Lopez, Ph.D., director of the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, Bryan-College Station.
- Whitetail Deer Management – Redmon.
There will also be stations set up displaying plant management tools utilizing prescribed fire, herbicide and mechanical control options.
On April 14, participants have a choice of tours to different parts of the Hill Country onboard air-conditioned charter buses. Participants may choose to visit Hillingdon Ranch in Kendall County for a legacy management-focused tour or to Flagler Ranch in Real County for the tour on wildlife management.
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