Registration is open for the award-winning David McKnight ’73 Ranch Management University, scheduled for April 14-17 at Texas A&M University in Bryan-College Station.

A sun sets on ranchland, with an old cedar post fence running through the middle.
The Ranch Management University April 14-17 in Bryan-College Station will give new and inexperienced ranchers and landowners a look at best management practices across the ranch. (Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife)

The workshop is a collaboration of the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, the Department of Animal Science, the Department of Agricultural Economics, the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management and the Department of Poultry Science. 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 give new or inexperienced ranchers and landowners a crash course on a lot of different subjects, 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

Participants will spend four 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, with a special rate of $325 for military, first responders and AgriLife Extension personnel. Register online, or for more information, contact Linda Francis at [email protected].

Workshop attendees will meet at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Turf Facility at 3100 F&B Road, College Station. The program will begin April 14 and run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily until its conclusion at noon on April 17.

Meals and break refreshments will be provided, as well as a resource flash drive with relevant publications.

Three general Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be offered to attendees, as well as two realtor units.

Speakers and topics

Day 1:

  • Planning for Profit, Livestock Marketing – David Anderson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension beef economist and professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Bryan-College Station.
  • Soil Fertility, How to Take a Soil Sample – Jake Mowrer, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension state soil fertility specialist and associate professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, 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, Amarillo.
  • Texas Well Owners Network, TWON: Well Informed – Joel Pigg, AgriLife Extension program specialist and TWON coordinator, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.

Day 2:

  • Genetic Strategies for Profitable Beef Production, Nutrient Requirements and Supplementation of Beef Cattle/Body Conditioning Scores – Jason Cleere, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist and associate professor, Department of Animal Science, Bryan-College Station.
  • Alternative Strategies for Winter Feeding Livestock, Importance of Stocking Rates – Redmon.
  • Small Landowner Strategies – Chase Brooke, AgriLife Extension small acreage and wildlife management specialist, Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Stephenville.
  • Outdoor Activity – Rainfall Simulator, Soil Health, Plant ID, NRCS Financial Assistance Programs – Jason Hohlt, USDA-NRCS range specialist, Bryan-College Station.

Day 3:

  • Wildlife as Agriculture for Property Tax Purposes, White-Tailed Deer Management, Q&A for Anything Wildlife – Jim Cathey, Ph.D., professor and NRI associate director, Bryan-College Station.
  • Basic Honeybees – Molly Keck, AgriLife Extension senior program specialist, Department of Entomology, San Antonio.
  • Horse Production 101 – Jennifer Zoller, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension equine specialist and associate professor in the Department of Animal Science, Bryan-College Station.
  • Feral Hog Issues/Trap Demonstration – Jay Long, NRI project coordinator, Bryan-College Station.
  • Backyard Poultry – Greg Archer, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension poultry specialist and associate professor in the Department of Poultry Sciences.
  • Small Ruminant Production – Jake Thorne, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension sheep and goat program specialist, San Angelo.

Day 4:

  • Weed and Brush Management with Outdoor Sprayer Demo/Video – Redmon.
  • Aquatic Vegetation Management Basics – Brittany Chesser, AgriLife Extension aquatic vegetation program specialist, Bryan-College Station.

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