Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, s-byrns@tamu.edu
Contacts: Dr. John Walker, 325-653-4576, jwalker@ag.tamu.edu
Corey Owens, 325-486-6757, corey.owens@Angelo.edu
SAN ANGELO – Plans are fast coming together for the Texas Section Society for Range Management annual meeting Oct. 11-13 in San Angelo and organizers urge members and prospective members to mark their calendar for the statewide event.
Activities will center around the San Angelo’s McNease Convention Center, 501 Rio Concho Drive with the nearby Clarion Inn and Suites, 441 Rio Concho Drive, serving as the host hotel.
“This year’s theme is Overcoming Ecological Challenges: Providing for Long-term Profitability,” said Dr. John Walker, Texas A&M AgriLife Research resident director at San Angelo and a past president of the range management organization.
“In reviewing the agenda, I’ve noted the presentations support the theme in a varied and interesting way with a wide array of topics ranging from the use of drones to new feral hog management technology. This educational opportunity should be a top priority for anybody who earns a living from the land.”
Walker said the society’s mission is to provide leadership for the stewardship of rangelands based on sound ecological principles. Membership is comprised of agency and academic personnel, ranchers, land managers and others interested in proper range management.
Oct. 11 scheduled topics include technology in agriculture, drone use and GIS.
Oct. 12 topics include beef herd marketing for added value, economic feasibility of range improvement projects, drought management, environmental impacts of oil and gas decisions, and managing rangelands for multiple products.
Oct. 13 will be devoted to a tour of the Hugh Stone Ranch to view prickly pear herbicide use, drone use and a demonstration of the Boar Buster Hog Trap. The meeting’s final topic will be Four Decades of Do’s and Don’ts in Conservation Work.
Other activities will be a dance with entertainment provided by local artist Case Hardin, and a trade show featuring ranch equipment, herbicides and livestock supplements.
For more general, fees and registration information, contact Corey Owens, Angelo State University senior instructor/research associate, at 325-486-6757 or corey.owens@angelo.edu.
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