Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, [email protected]
Contact: Dr. Larry Redmon, 979-845-4826, [email protected]

The Hill Country has its own special needs when it comes to managing livestock and wildlife and incorporating the millions of individuals who come to vacation, hunt and relax in the ranching environments.

The sixth annual Hill Country Land Stewardship Conference hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offers a chance for landowners in the region to learn more about addressing issues that arise when ranching and tourism combine, said Dr. Larry Redmon, AgriLife Extension program leader, College Station.

man pouring water into trays with different types of ground cover
Matt Brown demonstrated water runoff rates at the 2018 Bennett Trust Land Stewardship Conference in Kerrville. (Texas A&M Soil and Crop Sciences photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

“We keep coming back and offering speakers on everything from grazing to prescribed fire and legal issues to wildlife management because our clientele in the region say they want to learn more,” Redmon said.

The 2019 conference will be held April 25-26 at the YO Ranch Hotel and Conference Center in Kerrville. On-site registration, check-in and breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m. April 25 at the Y.O. Ranch Hotel, 2033 Sidney Baker St. The program will begin at 8:30 a.m.

The conference fee is $75 and includes all meals, break refreshments and tour transportation costs. Registration is now open and preregistration will be available through April 15 at agriliferegister.tamu.edu/bennetttrustor 979-845-2604.

Redmon said several speakers will offer insight on some of the less-thought-of aspects of ranching or land ownership.

Topics and speakers include:

  • Managing for Unwanted Plant Species, Dr. Robert Lyons, AgriLife Extension range specialist, Uvalde.
  • Birding in the Hill Country, Dr. Maureen Frank, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, Uvalde.
  • Top Laws Texas Landowners Need to Know, Dr. Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist, Amarillo.
  • Using Prescribed Burning on Your Property, Dr. Morgan Treadwell, AgriLife Extension range specialist, San Angelo.
  • How to Incorporate Exotics, Charly Seale, Exotic Wildlife Association executive director, Kerrville.
  • Managing Your Whitetail Deer, Redmon.

The second day of the conference will be dedicated to tours. Attendees will pick from tours of the Hillingdon Ranch in Kendall County, where legacy management will be discussed, or the Cimarron Ranch in Kerr County, where wildlife management will be the topic.

For more information, contact Linda Francis at [email protected] or an AgriLife Extension agent in the region, or go to http://agrilife.org/bennetttrust/.

woman talking to seated audience
Participants at the 2018 Bennett Trust Land Stewardship Conference in Kerrville learned about different animal tracks from Annalise Scoggins from Texas Parks and Wildlife. (TAMU Soil and Crop Sciences photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)