Ranch Management University set for April 13-17 in College Station
Intensive training gives new ranchers practical skills for managing profitable operations
The David McKnight ’73 Ranch Management University is scheduled for April 13-17 in Bryan-College Station.
The workshop is a collaboration within the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Department of Animal Science, Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Department of Entomology and Department of Agricultural Economics. It also involves the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, NRI, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA-NRCS.
The Ranch Management University is designed to enhance land stewardship and profitability for ranchers by offering intensive workshops that integrate ecological science with practical strategies, said Larry Redmon, Ph.D., Department of Soil and Crop Sciences associate department head and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program leader, Bryan-College Station.
Event details
The event will be held at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Facility for Lawn and Garden Research, 3100 F&B Road. The program will start at 11 a.m. on April 13 and run through noon on April 17.
General registration is $525. Registration for military, veterans, law enforcement or first responders is $325. Register online at tx.ag/RanchManagement26, or contact the event organizer at [email protected] for more information.
There will be three general Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units offered.
On the agenda
April 13:
- Business Management – Erin Kimbrough, manager, co-director AgriLife Extension’s BattleGround to Breaking Ground and Texas AgrAbility programs, Bryan-College Station.
- Forage Establishment – Redmon.
- Alternative Strategies for Winter Feeding Livestock – Redmon.
- Aquatic Vegetation Management – Brittany Chesser, AgriLife Extension aquatic vegetation program specialist and lead diagnostic scientist, Texas A&M AgriLife Aquatic Diagnostics Laboratory, Bryan-College Station.
April 14:
- Importance of Stocking Rates – Redmon.
- Soil Fertility – Jake Mowrer, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension state soil fertility specialist and associate professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
- How to Take a Soil Sample – Mower.
- Outdoor 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 associate professor, Department of Animal Science, Bryan-College Station.
April 15:
- Livestock Marketing – David Anderson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension beef economist and professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Bryan-College Station.
- Rainfall Simulator, Soil Health and Plant Identification, outside – Jason Hohlt, USDA-NRCS rangeland management specialist, Bryan-College Station.
- Forage Transects and Sampling, outside – Hohlt and Redmon.
- NRCS Financial Assistance Programs – Hohlt.
- Texas Agricultural Laws Landowners Need to Know – Tiffany Lashmet, J.D., AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist and professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Canyon.
- Watersheds, Water Quality and Grazing Livestock – Leanne Wiley, AgriLife Extension program specialist and Lone Star Healthy Streams coordinator, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
- Rainwater Harvesting – Billy Kniffen, retired AgriLife Extension water resource associate, Menard.
- Texas Well Owner Network, TWON – Joel Pigg, AgriLife Extension program specialist and TWON coordinator, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
April 16:
- Wildlife as Agriculture for Property Tax Purposes – Jim Cathey, Ph.D., professor and NRI associate director, Bryan-College Station.
- Honey bees – Garett Slater, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension honey bee specialist and assistant professor, Department of Entomology, Overton.
- White-Tailed Deer Management – Cathey.
- Feral Hogs in Texas, trap demonstration – Jay Long, NRI project coordinator and doctoral student, Bryan-College Station.
- Dove Management – Redmon and Cathey.
- Horse 101/Riding Simulator and Networking Social – Jennifer Zoller, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension horse specialist and associate professor, Department of Animal Science, Bryan-College Station.
April 17:
- Sprayer Demonstration, outside – Weston Floyd, turfgrass research assistant, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
- Weed and Brush Management – Redmon.
