The most comprehensive conference of the year addressing all facets of commodities produced through the Blackland region comes together Jan. 7-8 as the 63rd Blackland Income Growth Conference at BASE Extraco Events Center, 4601 Bosque Blvd., Waco.
The event is sponsored by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
Jeffrey W. Savell, Ph.D., vice chancellor and dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences, will be the keynote speaker during the Jan. 7 luncheon.
Registration, schedule
The Jan. 7 program begins at 8 a.m. with registration and will conclude at 4:45 p.m. Cost is $25, which includes lunch, and is payable at the door.
A full list of sessions, speakers and continuing education units is available at https://stephenville.tamu.edu/conference-information/.
A recertification and private applicator training will be held Jan. 8. The cost is $65, and it will also include lunch. Those planning to attend should RSVP by Jan. 3.
Registration for either session may be made by calling the AgriLife Extension office in McLennan County at 254-757-5180.
Commodity sessions, financial management
Sessions covering beef and forage, cotton and row crops, and landowner management are scheduled Jan. 7.
The beef and forage session will feature:
- Beef cattle marketing outlook, Jason Johnson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist for management and associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Bryan-College Station.
- Contrasting Bermuda grass hybrids for beef cattle production, Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension statewide forage specialist and professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Overton.
- Options for marketing ranch-raised beef, Ron Gill, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension livestock specialist and professor in the Department of Animal Science, Chico.
- Herbicide update and selection in forage production, Zach Howard, AgriLife Extension program specialist, Bryan-College Station.
- Genetic selection, artificial insemination, biosecurity, Tom Hairgrove, DVM, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension cattle veterinary specialist in the Department of Animal Science.
- Drift management and protecting your options, Justin Hale, operations director, Ignition Land Services.
The cotton and row crops session will feature:
- Endangered species act and EPA labeling, Todd Baughman, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension and research director, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Lubbock.
- Strategies for confronting profit margin pressure, Johnson.
- Considerations for building a safety net, Jacob Little, Crop and Range Insurance Agency, Hillsboro.
- Auxin training, Ben McKnight, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension statewide cotton specialist and assistant professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
- Fertility in row crops, Jake Mowrer, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension state soil fertility specialist and associate professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station, College Station.
- Pest management in corn and cotton, David Kerns, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension entomologist, statewide program coordinator for integrated pest management and associate department head, Department of Entomology, Bryan-College Station.
The landowner management sessions will feature:
- Fencing laws, Blake Bennett, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist and associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Dallas.
- Wildlife property tax evaluation, Kyle Melton, natural resources specialist with Texas Parks and Wildlife, Austin.
- Year-long pond management strategies, Tyson Keese, AgriLife Extension pond management specialist in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Overton.
A special afternoon program covering farm and ranch financial management led by Johnson on Jan. 7. This session will focus on post-election financial strategies such as investments, taxes and estate planning.
The Mid-Tex Farm and Ranch Show featuring vendors, equipment and other farm and ranch equipment is free and open to the public. Show times are 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 7 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 8.
