Women who are making a difference down on the farm or ranch will be the focus of the Bennett Trust Land Stewardship Women’s Conference, according to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program coordinator.
“Girl Power: Texas Female Entrepreneurs” is the conference theme set for Oct. 9-10 at The Inn on Barons Creek, 308 S. Washington St., Fredericksburg. The program addresses the growing number of women making decisions as landowners and operators.
Registration is now open at https://tx.ag/Bennett23Reg. The cost is $125, including meals, break refreshments and tour transportation. The program also will offer three general Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units and two continuing education credits for realtors.
Those passionate about environmental stewardship and with a love for the Texas Hill Country will want to attend, said Larry Redmon, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension program leader and associate head, Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
“With over 1,000 people per day being added to the Texas population, wise stewardship of the Edwards Plateau’s natural resources is more critical than ever, and increasing numbers of women are leading the way,” Redmon said. “As more women become landowners, we want to help them successfully manage their natural resources.”
The award-winning program, now held for the seventh year, aims to provide women the tools they need to manage their piece of Texas, Redmon said. So far, more than 350 women have attended the program.
Topics and speakers
Day 1 will include discussion topics and hands-on opportunities regarding stewardship while managing brush in grasslands, key laws in Texas for landowners, using websites and apps for improved ranch management, and a women’s panel discussion. Day 2 involves a tour of Blanco on charter buses.
The Oct. 9 program will begin with registration and breakfast at 7:30 a.m., followed by the program at 8:30 a.m. Topics and speakers will be:
– Women and Land Stewardship: Planning for the Future ¾ April Sansom, Ph.D., Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve executive director, Johnson City.
– Prioritizing Stewardship while Managing Brush in Grasslands ¾ Morgan Treadwell, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension range specialist, San Angelo.
– Using Websites and Apps for Improved Ranch Management Decisions ¾ Megan Clayton, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension range specialist,
— Women’s Panel Discussion ¾ Marissa Drager, 111 Beef Republic, Bridgeport; Jurahee Silvers, La Cabra Meat, Junction; and Katy Seaton, Farmhouse Vineyards, Brownfield.
– Key Laws for Texas Landowners ¾ Tiffany Lashmet, J.D., AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist, Amarillo.
Oct. 10 will begin with breakfast at 7:15 a.m., then participants will load buses for the Blanco Tour, which will include archery, plant identification, track and skat identification, a vineyard visit and a tour of a lavender farm and cut-flower farm.
For more information, go to https://agrilife.org/bennetttrust/, or contact Redmon at l-redmon@tamu.edu or Linda Francis at linda.francis@ag.tamu.edu.
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