Bennett Trust Land Stewardship Conference set for April 10-11
Program topics highlight water issues and opportunities
The Bennett Trust was established through an endowment provided by Eskel and Ruth Bennett to AgriLife Extension through the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. The endowment’s goal is to help improve and protect the region’s valuable natural resources.
Online registration is open, and the cost is $100. The deadline to register is April 3.
New this year is the offering of realtor continuing education credits, said Larry Redmon, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension program leader and associate department head in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.
Three general Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units and 10 realtor continuing education credits will be offered.
On the agenda
Keynote speaker Robert Mace, executive director, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, San Marcos, will discuss water issues concerning the Llano uplift – the hydrogeology and geology of the area – and compare the similarities and differences to the Hill Country water resources.
Other topics and speakers on April 10 include:
- The Texas Well Owner Network, TWON: Private water wells and water quality screening — Joel Pigg, AgriLife Extension program specialist and TWON coordinator, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
- Lone Star Healthy Streams: Surface Water and Livestock — Leanne Wiley AgriLife Extension program specialist and Lone Star Healthy Streams coordinator, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
- Ag Laws for Texas Landowners — Tiffany Lashmet, J.D., AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist and professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Amarillo.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA-NRCS, programs — Dandy Kothmann, resource team leader for USDA-NRCS in the Texas A&M Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Mason.
- Woody plant encroachment and how that affects water in the aquifer — Morgan Treadwell, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension range specialist and professor, Department of Rangeland Wildlife and Fisheries Management, San Angelo.
On April 11, there will be a day-long field trip covering agrotourism and various livestock management practices, with visits to Sweet Berry Farms, a pick-your-own operation in Marble Falls; Backbone Valley Nursery, a destination garden center in Marble Falls; and a wine tasting and tour at Farmhouse Winery in Johnson City. The day will end with Sam Whittington discussing native American artifacts found in the region at the Bamberger Ranch ecological restoration and conservation project near Johnson City.
For questions regarding event details, email linda.francis@ag.tamu.edu.
PHOTO: The Bennett Trust Land Stewardship Conference on April 10-11 in Marble Falls will help landowners learn to protect their natural resources. (Michael Miller/Texas A&M AgriLife)
