“Principles Before Practices,” a series of free workshops providing livestock producers with knowledge on soil health principles, grazing management, as well as how to implement the practices utilizing federal cost-share conservation programs begin in April.
The Texas Grazing Land Coalition, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas A&M Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management will host the workshops. The free workshops are made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, NRCS.
Workshop locations and registration
The workshops will be held at the following locations from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.:
- April 3: Bruni Community Center, 303 12th St., Bruni.
- April 16: Christoval Community Center, 20022 Main St., Christoval.
- May 9: Cowboy Fellowship, 561 Farm-to-Market Road 3350, Jourdanton.
Participants are encouraged to register for their respective workshops at https://tx.ag/Principles.
One general continuing education unit will be offered for Texas Department of Agriculture license holders.
Additionally, participants completing the course will qualify for priority points in the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program, EQIP, ranking available for 2025. EQIP is a flagship conservation program of the NRCS that helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation into their land management practices.
Workshop format and presenters
Portions of the workshop will be held indoors as well as outdoors and feature expert speakers including Jenny Pluhar, executive director for the Texas Grazing Land Coalition, Canyon; and Morgan Treadwell, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension range specialist, San Angelo, and Jeff Goodwin, Ph.D., director of the Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management, Bryan-College Station, both in the Texas A&M Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management.
Additionally, local ranchers from regional grazing land coalitions successfully addressing the principles of grazing management and soil health on their property will share first-hand experiences.
“With these workshops, we hope to deliver technical assistance directly to landowners and incentivize the prioritization of applying the appropriate practices to address resource concerns, such as soil health,” Treadwell said.
Thanks to the participation of regional grazing land coalitions under the umbrella of the Texas Grazing Land Coalition, participants also can engage in additional field training and mentorship opportunities.
“Our regional coalitions are each unique, yet united in pursuing our vision of good stewardship on grazing lands throughout Texas, as well as our mission of promoting stewardship of Texas grazing lands through partnerships, technical assistance and training,” Pluhar said.
For questions, contact Treadwell at morgan.treadwell@ag.tamu.edu or Casey Matzke, AgriLife Extension program manager, Bryan-College Station, at casey.matzke@ag.tamu.edu.
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