Tips on rebuilding Texas cattle herds and an update on livestock traceability will be featured topics at the 51st Blackland Income Growth Conference scheduled Feb. 4-6 at the Extraco Events Center in Waco.
The center is located at 4601 Bosque Blvd.

“We think we have something for everyone, and producers will take home plenty of strategies they can incorporate into their operations,” said Ron Woolley, conference coordinator and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service regional program director at Stephenville.

The annual conference is sponsored by AgriLife Extension and the Waco Chamber of Commerce.

The Dinner Tonight cooking school is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 4, featuring recipe demonstrations that promote Texas agriculture. Cost is $15 with preregistration and $20 onsite. To register, visit https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu.

Registration for the main Blackland Income Growth Conference on Feb. 5 is $20 per person and includes lunch. Several sessions will award continuing education units. Producers are encouraged to download the brochure at  http://stephenville.tamu.edu/blackland-income-growth/conference-information/ to see specific continuing education credit allocations, sessions and speakers.

The keynote luncheon speaker Feb. 5 will be Dr. James Kroll, also known as “Dr. Deer” and is the Henry M. Rockwell Chair in forest wildlife and director of the Institute for White-tailed Deer Management and Research at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Kroll is a nationally-known resource for excellence in research in deer biology, management and economics, Woolley said. Most recently, Kroll was appointed by Gov. Scott Walker as the nation’s first deer trustee for Wisconsin and given the authority to investigate and develop solutions to long-standing public issues related to the management of white-tailed deer in the state.

The following is a list of concurrent sessions scheduled Feb. 5-6:

Feb. 5 sessions:

– 9 a.m.  Beef session will feature presentations on fly control, restoration of pastures, rebuilding the cow herd, livestock traceability and beef checkoff program.

– 9 a.m. Grain session topics include nutrient management, weed resistance management, management in wheat, and a Farm Bill update.

– 9 a.m. Horticulture session will feature presentation on causes of tree death in Texas.

– 9 a.m. Rural Land Management session topics include what constitutes ag evaluation, custom farming rates/needs for small scale operators and update on new Texas agriculture/timber registration number.

– Noon – Blackland Income Growth Conference luncheon.

– 2 p.m. Cotton session will feature Farm Bill update, boll weevil eradication update, cotton root rot management update, variety and technology update, and Cotton Inc. research and program update.

– 2 p.m. Forage session topics include drought management strategies, forage options (native versus improved grasses) and weed/brush control management.

– 2 p.m. Wildlife session will feature white-tailed deer management in the 21st century.

– 2 p.m. Horse commodity session topics include form to function, manure management, taxation issues on horses, pasture management and conditioning and exercising the equine athlete.

Feb. 6 sessions:

– 8:30 a.m. Blackland Income Growth recertification program to feature topics  and presentations on environmental risk management, agricultural emergency management, and laws and regulations.

– Noon – MidTex luncheon

– 1 p.m. Agricultural water conservation program and insect management for forages, pecan and small fruit tree.

For additional information, contact the AgriLife Extension agent in your county or call 254-968-4144 or McGregor General Store.