West Texas Rangelands
West Texas RangelandsWe hope to provide a variety of information from current news stories, prescribed burning, wildfires, brush control, and cow-calf management!

Women in Ranching – Texas CattleWomen – April 15, 2023

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Written by Casey Matzke

Texas CattleWomen is a State Organization made of 21 chapters across the state of Texas. Our mission is the promotion of Beef in a healthy diet. Our local chapters are the boots on the ground of this organization. From Ag in the Classroom, to the promotion of Beef, to scholarships, to hands-on demonstrations and Ranch Tour, our CattleWomen do it all.

Our local chapters are spread out through different counties in the State. For more information on CattleWomen and what local chapter you may belong to, be sure to check out our website. It is our goal to have every county in Texas covered in the future. If your county currently does not have a local chapter, we are always looking to start new local chapters. We have two new chapters currently being started in the Bastrop County and Scurry County areas.

Our annual Women In Ranching event is coming up on April 15th. This program was started several years ago and participants across the State have really enjoyed it. We wanted a place where women could come for hands-on learning and not be afraid to ask questions. This year our event is taking place in Stephenville, Texas at Tarleton State University.

The morning will kick off with Cattle Handling Demonstrations with Dr. Ron Gill and a BQA certification. Already BQA certified? No worries, this certification needs to be renewed every three years and this would be a great time to refresh that certificate.

We will break for lunch and then start the afternoon session. This will be three sessions of hands-on activity. We will have chute-side manners and a fencing demonstration. The third session will be from our very own Dr. Morgan Treadwell with Plant and Forage Identification.

In the evening, a Grilling 101 demonstration will be given, where all participants will get to grill their own steaks! We will wrap up the event with our producer panel. Not only is this event very informational but you will meet fellow women who are passionate about the industry. Interested in this event, be sure to register here.

For any additional questions about CattleWomen, be sure to reach out to Casey Matzke at caslmatzke@gmail.com or 713-578-0863.

 

2023 TSSRM Youth Range Workshop

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Click here to view the official flyer or apply to attend!

Youth Range Workshop is an annual youth camp held in June to prepare students to be knowledgeable leaders in their communities regarding the value of rangelands, the services and products they provide, and the importance of stewardship of our natural resources. Our emphasis is on stewardship, leadership, and management of natural resources. These lessons will serve participants well in the future regardless of what career path they choose or where they live. The students spend six days of intense activity in the field and classroom immersed in activities, including:

  • plant identification and plant collection
  • studying species composition and plant community dynamics
  • conducting forage inventories
  • learning the grazing and browsing habits of livestock and wildlife
  • learning habitat management principles and techniques for various species of wildlife
  • conducting field tests to determine the benefits of vegetation on infiltration and runoff rates as well as soil erosion
  • learning about soil health
  • assisting with a prescribed burn on a local ranch
  • and how all of these things are tied together

Hands-on learning is the focus, whether collecting, assisting with an actual prescribed burn, clipping and weighing vegetation, measuring soil temperature, participating in the operation of a rainfall simulator or learning to use the latest phone app for range management.

For more information and to apply to attend, go to www.tssrm-youthrangeworkshop.com or click here!

Prairie Project Winter 2023 Newsletter

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Happy New Year from the Prairie Project! The Prairie Project has released their Winter 2023 newsletter. Inside includes research highlights and excerpts, upcoming awards, and important dates to mark on your schedule. Keep up to date by downloading the newsletter in PDF format: Winter 2023 Prairie Project Newsletter

For more information on the Prairie Project, visit https://www.theprairieproject.org/ 

 

7th Hill Country Land Stewardship Conference

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Coming up April 13-14, 2023 is the 7th Hill Country Land Stewardship Conference! This year’s conference will be held at the YO Ranch Hotel and Conference Center in Kerrville, Texas. The event will include talks on economics, law, wildlife management, and changes in perspective on ranching. Day two will feature tours of the Hillingdon Ranch and Flagler Ranch.

Click here for more information.

Click here to register.

Click here to download the tentative agenda (current to 01/25/2023).

AgriLife Extension and Bennett Trust hope to see you there!