Extension Educators should have received a copy of the brochure for the 2014 Nebraska Grazing Conference. This year’s event, which takes place for the first time at the Kearney Ramada on August 12-13, will feature another first: a live cattle handling and roping demo at the county fairgrounds by consultant to the movie, "The Horse Whisperer," Curt Pate from Texas. Pate’s Wednesday afternoon demo will be preceded by his talk first thing that morning on stockmanship and stewardship fundamentals, followed by three producers who use low-stress cattle handling techniques.
Other topics during the two days include: water capture, transfer, and storage; soil health and grazing; mob grazing; wildlife and grazing; managing during and after drought; a mobile app for monitoring grasslands, management practices of the 2013 Leopold Conservation Award winner, and research on switchgrass for forage and biomass. Participants will also have ample time to visit with grazing industry vendors and organization reps in the exhibit hall.
In addition to Pate, the slate of speakers includes UNL faculty, government agencies, and the ever-popular farmers and ranchers who discuss their experiences with grazing and land management strategies.
Full registration is $80 if postmarked by Aug. 1, $95 afterward. One-day registration is $45 before Aug. 1, $55 after. Walk-in registrations are allowed. Those interested only in the Pate presentations must complete and pay for a Wednesday-only registration either in advance or on the morning of Aug. 13 at the conference registration desk in the Kearney Ramada. Reduced registration fees are offered for full-time high school or college students. Registration fees will be paid by the UNL College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources for students who will still be in high school this fall and who pre-register by the Aug. 1 deadline.
More information is available at http://nebraskagrazingconference.unl.edu, or from the UNL Center for Grassland Studies at (402) 472-4101, e-mail grassland@unl.edu.
The event is sponsored by several public and private organizations, including the conference underwriters: Farm Credit Services of America, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition and the Center for Grassland Studies.
More details at: http://go.unl.edu/fbfe