Natural resources key in land management
By Kay Ledbetter, Texas A&M
Apr 20, 2017
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KERRVILLE – Whether a longtime landowner or the new kid on the block, knowing what natural resources are present and how to best manage them is key to making an agriculture operation in the Hill Country work.

Producers have a chance to hear from experts like Dr. Megan Clayton at the fourth annual Hill Country Land Stewardship Conference hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and scheduled for April 20-21 at the Y.O. Ranch Hotel in Kerrville.

Clayton is an AgriLife Extension range specialist in Corpus Christi. She will kick off the first day of the conference with a presentation on Getting to Know Your Resources.

“Knowing what kind of resources you have on your land can help you determine if livestock or wildlife are your best investment, and what kind and how many you may be able to support on your acreage,” she said.

Clayton said not all the land is equal and knowing what is out there is half the battle.

“Do you have a successful livestock ranching operation, or is it time to think outside the box and consider alternative options that might better suit the natural resources available? We hope to help answer some of those types of questions by introducing technologies, including smartphone apps and websites ranchers can use to refine their land management,” she said.

Dr. Larry Redmon, AgriLife Extension program leader and associate department head in the Texas A&M University departments of soil and crop sciences and wildlife and fisheries, said the conference will provide a comprehensive update on many aspects of ranch management in the Hill Country.

The conference is $75 and includes all meals, break refreshments and tour transportation costs. Preregistration will be available through April 14 at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/BennettTrust or 979-845-2604.

The conference will open with registration for those who did not preregister and check-in for all at 7:30 a.m. April 20. The program will begin at 8:30 a.m.

In addition to Clayton, the following topics and speakers will fill the morning program:

— Managing Deep-Rooted Invaders, Dr. Robert Lyons, AgriLife Extension range specialist, Uvalde.

— Top Laws Texas Landowners Need to Know, Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist, Amarillo.

— Master Naturalist Program, Michelle Haggerty, Texas Master Naturalist program coordinator, Kerrville.

— Landscaping for Wildlife, Dr. Maureen Frank, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, Uvalde.

— Livestock Options for Smaller Acreage, Dr. Reid Redden, AgriLife Extension state sheep and goat specialist, San Angelo.

— Rainwater Harvesting Options, Billy Kniffen, retired AgriLife Extension water resource associate, Menard.

— Edwards Plateau – Where We Have Come From and Where We Are Going, Dr. Barron Rector, AgriLife Extension range specialist, College Station.

The second day of the conference will be dedicated to tours. Attendees will pick from tours of the Hillingdon Ranch in Kendall County, “Wine and Roses” in Gillespie County, or the Kerr Wildlife Management Area.

For more information, contact Redmon at l-redmon@tamu.edu or an AgriLife Extension agent in the region, or go to http://agrilife.org/bennetttrust/.