The 2016 BIG Conference will be held January 5-6, 2016 at the Waco Convention Center. On January 5th the ag commodities will be held. Sessions on Forage, Beef, Grain, Cotton, Wildlife, Rural Land Management, Horse, Horticulture and Feeding the World will be offered. There is no pre-registering for the January 5th portion of BIG. Registration will be $20 and open at 8 am at the Convention Center. The previous six years have been at the ExtraCo Events Center and in February. The BIG Conference has been historically held at the Waco Convention Center in early January.” We think this schedule change will benefit all producers in the Blacklands region,” Woolley said. “The Blackland Income Growth Conference has a long history of providing the latest research information and production management practices for farmers and ranchers throughout the region.”
“The BIG executive board members evaluated the whole conference and presentations,” said Blackland Income Growth Program Chairman Robin Liebe of Waco. “By providing an earlier conference date, this gives farmers a jumpstart to making decisions with regards to new seed varieties, planting methods and other important decisions with a new crop.”
Attracting more young farmers and ranchers is one of the focus areas of planning committee members as well as enhancing programming that appeals to session programs in rural land management, equine and family nutrition.
The Blackland Income Growth Conference coordinating committee of Terry Coufal, Bell County, cotton; Kathy Swetland, McLennan County, family nutrition; Robin Liebe, McLennan County, Blackland Income Growth chairman; Mike Garrett, Falls County, forage; Ron Woolley, BIG coordinator, Stephenville; Gary Phillips, Bosque County, wildlife; Don Griffin, McLennan County, horse; Jason Embry, Limestone County, beef; Bob Carroll, Navarro County, rural land management; Louie McDaniel, McLennan County, horticulture; Steve Beakley, Ellis County, grain; Bill Foshea, BIG vice chairman and Justin Richard, BIG treasurer meet with their County Agent Committee Advisors from their county and volunteers from various counties to plan the event.
Joining Liebe in conference leadership for 2016 is Blackland Income Growth Program Vice Chairman Bill Foshea of Midlothian.
“We want folks to come and participate, share new ideas and help everyone become more profitable,” he said.
The 2015 conference attracted more than 600 attendees.
For more information about the Blackland Income Growth program, visit http://stephenville.tamu.edu/blackland-income-growth/ or please call the McLennan County Extension Office at (254)757-5180
