David McKnight ’73 Ranch Management University set for Oct. 12-16 in College Station
Workshop provides crash course to new or inexperienced ranchers, landowners
The David McKnight ’73 Ranch Management University is scheduled for Oct. 12-16 at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Facility for Lawn and Garden Research, 3100 F&B Road, in Bryan-College Station.
The workshop is a collaboration of the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Department of Animal Science, Department of Agricultural Economics and the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management. It also involves the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, NRI, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, NRCS.
Larry Redmon, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program leader and associate department head, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station, said the Ranch Management University is designed to give new or inexperienced ranchers and landowners a crash course on many different subjects.
Event details
The program is held each spring and fall, with participants spending five days learning about a variety of ranch management topics ranging from soil fertility to forage and weed management to livestock and wildlife management.
General registration is $525, and military/veteran or law enforcement/first responder registration is $325. Register online at tx.ag/2026RanchManagementU. For more information, contact Katherine Ondrasek, administrative coordinator for the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, at [email protected].
The program will begin at 11 a.m. on Oct. 12 and run from 7:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily until it concludes at noon on Oct. 16.
Meals and break refreshments will be provided along with more than 250 publications addressing ranch resource management and a workbook of all presentations.
AgriLife Extension experts from across the state will lead the instruction. Five Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be offered – three in integrated pest management, one in laws and regulations, and one in drift management — to licensed attendees, as well as two realtor continuing education units for licensed attendees.
Speakers and topics
Day 1:
- Business Management – Erin Kimbrough, manager and co-director of AgriLife Extension’s BattleGround to Breaking Ground and Texas AgrAbility program, Bryan-College Station.
- Forage Establishment and Alternative Strategies for Winter Feeding Livestock, Redmon.
- Aquatic Vegetation Management Basics – Brittany Chesser, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension aquatic vegetation management specialist and assistant professor, Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Bryan-College Station
Day 2:
- Importance of Stocking Rates – Redmon.
- Soil Fertility, How to Take a Soil Sample – Jake Mowrer, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension state soil fertility specialist and professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
- Animal Handling Demonstration, Nutrient Requirements and Supplementation for Beef Cattle, and Genetic Strategies for Profitable Beef Production, Jason Cleere, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist and professor, Department of Animal Science, Bryan-College Station.
Day 3:
- NRCS Financial Assistance Programs; Rainfall Simulator, Soil Health, Plant ID; and Forage Transects and Sampling – Jason Hohlt, NRCS range specialist, Bryan-College Station.
- Livestock Marketing – David Anderson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension beef economist and professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Bryan-College Station.
- Ag Laws Texas Landowners Need to Know – Tiffany Lashmet, J.D., AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist and professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Canyon.
- Fire Wise – Morgan Treadwell, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension range specialist and professor in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, San Angelo.
- Rainwater Harvesting – Billy Kniffen, retired AgriLife Extension water resource associate, Menard.
- Texas Well Owners Network, TWON: Well Informed – Joel Pigg, AgriLife Extension program specialist in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
Day 4:
- Wildlife as Agriculture for Property Tax Purposes, White-tailed Deer Management – Jim Cathey, Ph.D., professor and NRI associate director, Bryan-College Station.
- Basic Honeybees — Garett Slater, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension entomologist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton and assistant professor, Department of Entomology,
- Feral Hog Issues, Trap Demonstration – Jay Long, NRI project coordinator and doctoral student, Bryan-College Station.
- Dove Management – Redmon/Cathey.
- Horse 101/Riding Simulator – Jennifer Zoller, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension equine specialist and associate professor in the Department of Animal Science, Bryan-College Station.
Day 5:
- Sprayer Demonstration – Weston Floyd, turfgrass research assistant, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan College Station.
- Weed and Brush Management – Redmon.
