think you have this figured out. add to our forage base, but the majority of the warm season forage produced typically occurs in May, June, and July.

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1 Published by the Texas Section Society for Range Management Providing Leadership for the Stewardship of Rangelands Based on Sound Ecological Principles MAY JUN 2015 Volume 67, Number 3 vert precipitation into forage when we manage for adequate ground cover. Once bare ground is established, evaporation rates and soil temperature rise, resulting in loss of moisture and little recovery. Six weeks after the 2011 wildfires, soil temperatures were recorded on bare soil near Ozona, Texas. Surface temperatures averaged 145 F, while temperatures at 1 foot and 3 feet averaged 100 F and 93 F, respectively. Soil temperatures at these levels do not allow revegetation to occur. Dr. Cody Scott TSSRM President For most landowners, this has been a spring to remember. Abundant rainfall has fallen over much of Texas. If you were fortunate enough to spray prickly pear or conduct a prescribed burn this past winter, you are lucky; the vegetation response has been tremendous. You are starting to think you have this figured out. Many may be considering buying more cows or keeping additional replacements this year to utilize all of the abundant green grass. However, before you do, one thing is certain; it will be dry again. Now is the time to prepare for the next drought. We are only able to capture and efficiently con- The solution is simple; maintain adequate ground cover to reduce evaporation rates, maintain soil moisture, and keep soil temperatures lower. In addition, the majority of our annual forage production for most of Texas occurs in May through July, when sufficient rainfall occurs. In fact, the next 90 days will determine how much forage we have for the remainder of the year. There are exceptions; rainfall in September and October may add to our forage base, but the majority of the warm season forage produced typically occurs in May, June, and July. How do we prepare for the next drought? Remain conservative with stocking rates. Remember, more cows do not necessarily mean more net profit. As stocking rates rise, variable costs (feed, labor, veterinary costs) rise as well. We all know

2 Texas Section Officer and Directors May Jun 2015 Grass Roots 2 Dr. Cody Scott, President Box #10888 ASU Station San Angelo, TX H: (325) E: cody.scott@angelo.edu of individuals that generate a large sum of gross profit, but ultimately file for bankruptcy. William Willy Conrad, 2nd Vice President 2825 Frate Barker Rd Austin, TX P: (512) E: william.conrad@austin.gov Dr. Pancho Ortega, 2nd Vice President 700 University Blvd MSC 218 Kingsville, TX P:(361) E: pancho.ortega@tamuk.edu John W. Walker, Past President 7887 US Highway 87 N San Angelo, TX H: (325) O: (325) C: (325) E: jwalker@ag.tamu.edu Mandi M. Ligon, Secrtry, Admin Handbook, Web 103 W Florida Ave Sweetwater, TX H: (325) O: (940) E: allsmiles2ya@yahoo.com Robert Moen, Treasurer PO Box 43 Sonora, TX H: (325) W: (325) E : rmoen@sonoratx.net Tyson Hart, Newsletter Editor 4613 NW Stallings Dr Nacogdoches, TX W: (936) H: (979) E: Tyson.Hart@tx.usda.gov Jeremy Hasty, Social Media Carillon Way Manor, TX H: (512) O: (512) E: Jeremy.Hasty@tx.usda.gov Lee A. Knox, Archivist 361 Foothill Rd Abilene, TX H: (325) E: leeaknox@yahoo.com Dr. Jim Ansley, PO Box 1066 Gatesville, TX O: (940) x 234 E: jansley@ag.tamu.edu Dandy Kothman, Director PO Box 243 Menard, TX C: (325) E: forked_lightning_ranch@yahoo.com Frank Price, Director PO Box 907 (mailing) SH 158 West (shipping) Sterling City, TX C: (325) H: (325) E: fspranch@msn.com At the recent Rancher s Workshop, Hugh Stone discussed his ranching operation and recovery since the 2011 wildfires and drought. Hugh has migrated to 100% stocker operation. Typically, he will purchase lambs in August and stock them on the ranch until January, when they are marketed. Cattle (usually bred cows) are purchased in October and sold as pairs in April. This allows Hugh to defer his entire ranch throughout the growing season. Because of this, his ranch has recovered faster than any other after the 2011 wildfires and drought. Hugh has a strong business sense and is typically able to purchase animals when prices are lower and sell when prices are higher. The potential risk and profit from this type of operation are high. If you are like me, I typically buy high and sell will prices are lower. This certainly reduces my federal income tax but puts little change in my pocket. To lower your risk from market fluctuations, consider a variable stocking rate. I am a firm believer in stocking at 60% of the moderate stocking rate for your property. Once fall arrives, purchase stockers to utilize any additional forage during the winter. If stockers do not appeal to you; lease grazing on an Animal Unit Month (AUM) basis to your neighbors; they are probably out of grass at this point of the year. At the Angelo State University Ranch, we are fortunate to have 500 acres of cropland along with 5,500 acres of rangeland. Each year, roughly half of the cropland is planted in hay-grazer. My goal is to have all of our livestock on hay-grazer throughout the majority of the summer. This allows for deferment of all of the rangeland on the ranch, maximizing forage production for the amount of rainfall received each summer. Because of a conservative stocking rate and utilization of summer crops for grazing, the ASU Ranch did not de-stock during the 2011 drought and maintained adequate groundcover until precipitation was received in the fall. Melissa Teague, Director Avenue G NW Childress, TX H: (940) O: (580) E: melissa_budd@yahoo.com Chuck Stanley, Director W Felix St. Bldg. 23 Fort Worth, TX P: (817) E: Charles.stanley@ftw.usda.gov Stephen Deiss, Director Shannon Valley Victoria, TX P: (979) E:.sdeiss@hotmail.com

3 Jan Feb May Jun Grass Roots 23 Membership and Voting Notice Due to changes within the parent society and Allen Press, membership renewal notices may not have been mailed for several weeks (or months) and consequently, many memberships have expired without notice. The TSSRM encourages everyone to visit login and check your membership status. Also, while you are there, we would encourage you to change your voting preference from paper to electronic. You still maintain the same voting privileges as with a paper ballot only with a convenient, easy-to -use electronic ballot that is much more efficient and provides cost saving benefits to the society. With the passage of the bylaw amendments last fall, all members who have an address will soon be marked as electronic ballot preference. SRM will begin notifying members sometime in April or May, reminding you of this change. At that time Allen Press will be changing the ballot preference for all members who have an address to electronic. The only way you will receive a paper ballot from that time forward will be if you specifically request to receive paper. If you have any questions please contact Vicky Trujillo at SRM (303) or Rachel Schwien at Allen Press (800) x215. Ballots for 2nd Vice President and Board of Director positions will be sent out in July. You will receive notice via whatever method ( or snail mail) you have specified with SRM. Please be aware of your preference. Call for Assistance TSSRM will be hosting its booth at the Texas Wildlife Association meeting in San Antonio on July 9 12 in San Antonio at the JW Marriot Hill Country Resort. I am looking for a couple of volunteers to help me man the booth and interact with TWA members about TSSRM. Would you include a brief note about this and ask anyone interested in helping to contact me at: William.conrad@austintexas.gov or (512) Thanks, Willy Conrad

4 Jan Feb May Jun Grass Roots 24 Planning is the Key to Good Range Management - John Walker - This article should have been in the March April newsletter because even then the handwriting was on the wall but the deadline slipped up on me. Texas has been blessed with the best spring in a long time and though at this writing the month is not over, this is already the wettest May on record. The most similar year in recent times for San Angelo was 1986, and that year had a total rainfall of 33 inches. Currently, with 41 percent of the year gone, we have received 41 percent of the 33 inches recorded in Most of the state is in similar if not better conditions relative to rainfall. The news gets better because the national weather service predicts a 33 to 40 percent probability that precipitation will be above average for the next three months for most of the state. The question for range managers is what are we going to do about it? One option, perhaps the easiest, is to sit back, watch the grass grow and give thanks for the rain. It may not the best option, however, unless you overstock and can use the favorable conditions for some range recovery. National weather service climate prediction center precipitation forecast for June, July August If you have not made a plan for the additional vegetation this rain will produce, it is time to get busy and develop a plan. Increased forage can be used for additional livestock, for a prescribed fire, or as fuel for a wildfire. If you purchased pasture range and forage insurance last year, you could be liable for premium payments that will come due July 1. These could range from about $0.50 an acre in the western part of the state to $5.00 per acre in the eastern part of the state, depending on the coverage level and productivity factor you choose last November. This provides an economic incentive to utilize the additional forage wisely. One approach to offset the premium, assuming that you are properly stocked for an average year, is to add stockers to your operation either by purchasing them or contracting with another operator to be paid for the gain. Compared to an average year, a good year can easily produce 25 percent more forage. If you need to offset the cost of insurance premiums, now is the time to make the management

5 Jan Feb May Jun Grass Roots 25 decisions that will allow you to utilize the extra forage with additional livestock. Another possible use for the additional forage is as fuel for a prescribed fire. Prescribed fire is one of the most cost-effective range improvement practices. Prescribed fire will reduce competition between desirable forages and woody plants or cactus and results in increased forage production in future years - especially dry years. This additional forage over the long-term may be more valuable than if it is used to day to produce more income in the current year by increasing stocking rate, a type of delayed gratification for range managers. If you want to conduct a prescribed fire, now is the time to begin preparations. Fire guards need to be bladed and if you plan to burn an entire pasture, deferment should begin. With this year s abundance of rain, patch burn graze could be an excellent option because there should be adequate fuel, even in grazed pastures, for an effective fire. The good growing conditions may result in excellent conditions for spraying brush, especially mesquite. Proper conditions for broadcast aerial spraying do not happen every year, but when they do, the results can be outstanding. When the North Concho Brush Control Project was active in the early 2000s, in order to receive a cost share payment, conditions had to be certified as meeting the minimum criteria for effective broadcast spraying of mesquite. These conditions were met only one year in four because of drought and other factors. However, in 2002 the year the conditions were met, the efficacy from aerial application of remedy and reclaim at 0.25 pounds per acre (the recommended herbicide treatment for mesquite at the time) was 95 percent control of mesquite under 10 feet tall and 85 percent control of mesquite over 15 feet tall. When conditions are right for controlling mesquite with aerial spraying, the efficacy can be over 20 percent better than the average efficacy for aerial herbicides. If spraying is in your long-term plans, monitor the conditions and be prepared to execute this summer. The criteria for cost share were: soil temperatures at 12 to 18 inches greater than 75 F leaves dark green with no significant leaf damage by hail, insect or drought no new leaves caused by recent precipitation, mesquite bean pods (if present) fully elongated flowers (if present) yellow (not white) Eventually, it will be dry again and all of the fuel that will grow this summer can become fuel for a wildfire. Do you remember that 2010 was a good forage year, followed by 2011, the driest year on record and the accompanying worst wildfire season? A similar situation could occur in 2016, so at a minimum if you live in a rural area it is not too soon to be sure that your home and community are firewise. See tfsweb.tamu.edu/protect_your_home/ for more information on this. In all things give thanks and especially for rain.

6 Jan Feb May Jun Grass Roots 26 Understanding Cattle Behavior Cattle Handling Pointers Stockmanship and Low-Stress Handling - Dr. Ron Gill and Dr. Rick Machen- There are three basic means of communicating with livestock. Very simply they are: Sight Sound Touch Cattle prefer to communicate through line of sight. Good stockmanship and low-stress handling can only be accomplished when a complete understanding of how a prey animal responds to line of sight and adoption of these in livestock handling are in place. Understanding the link between cattle s eyesight and their movement and behavior is critical in handling and in facility design. Noise of any kind, but in particular the human voice, is usually stressful and marginally successful in getting the desired result. Sound should be used as a secondary method of communication and preferably only used when sight and position is not adequate. Distracting sounds shift cattle s focus away from the desired direction. Touch is really only useful in situations where animals are confined and additional stimulus is needed to get cattle to move or respond. Effective touch does not include the use of driving aids such as hotshots or sorting sticks or paddles. There are five basic principles of cattle behavior that when used properly can improve the ease and speed of working cattle while reducing stress and increasing efficiency. Those principles are: 1. Cattle want to see you. Understanding vision is foundational to handler positioning and cattle response. Cattle have excellent peripheral vision with the exceptions of blind spots directly behind (large) and in front of (small) them. When working from behind and to keep cattle from turning, it is important to stay in their sight by moving from side to side. 2. Cattle want to go around you. This is also related to the desire to maintain visual contact allowing the handler to get in a position such that, when cattle do go around them, the cattle are pointed directly at the intended gate or destination. They ll think it was their idea to go there. 3. Cattle want to be with and will go to other cattle. A herding instinct is natural among prey animals. Stockmen can take advantage of this natural instinct as they work from the front of cattle. Start the front - the back will follow. 4. Cattle want to remove pressure. The natural instinct of a cow is to return to the last known safe or comfortable place. This behavior is in response to pressure and their desire to remove pressure. Handlers use this to their advantage when sorting and moving cattle from one corral to another. The simple principle of the return box or Bud Box takes advantage

7 Jan Feb May Jun Grass Roots 27 of this instinct. 5. Cattle can only process one main thought at a time. If cattle are thinking about anything other than what you are asking them to do, change their focus before putting pressure on them. Handling Cattle In Corrals Handling cattle in corrals is somewhat different than handling cattle in open pastures or large feeding pens. The main difference is the cattle s inability to remove pressure by moving away from human pressure. Because the entire basis of stockmanship and low-stress handling is pressure and release the handler must be aware that cattle confined in corrals may not be able to move far enough away from the handler to completely remove pressure. If they cannot then the stress level increases in the cattle. Effective stockmanship skills are based on pressure and release. An animal will quickly learn to tolerate pressure and not develop stress if they perceive a way for pressure to be released. It is critical that cattle are trained while in a pasture setting or at least in a large corral until the flight zone is reduced to a point the cattle can become content while confined in a corral. Cattle are intelligent and usually do what they are asked to do. However, if asked incorrectly cattle will likely not respond as the handler intended. When this happens we have come to rely on facilities, equipment or manpower to force cattle to do what is needed. This results in increased stress on cattle and handlers and results in cattle becoming more and more difficult to handle. The job of a handler is to teach an animal to tolerate pressure and stress for short periods of time. The role of a handler in stockmanship is to create movement in cattle and then use position to control and manage that movement to the desired result. When cattle loose movement they become reluctant to work. When movement is lost, excessive pressure, force and driving aids are more likely to be used. Creating and managing movement is key to achieving effective stockmanship. However, when cattle are confined into crowded corrals there is an inherent loss in movement that makes stockmanship and handling somewhat more difficult. Although working pens are smaller there is more than adequate room to get cattle to establish some movement as a group. It is important to not overcrowd any corral, pen, or crowding area with too many cattle. The key will be to work cattle in smaller groups as you get into smaller pens and processing areas. Understanding behavior and handler position can make this much less of a problem when moving cattle out of holding pens and to processing and shipping facilities. These same principles apply when pulling one animal from the pen or when sorting cattle out of pens. The entire premise of low-stress handling is keeping stress to a minimum. In a very simple explanation of stress If you decide to do something it is not stressful; if you are forced to do something it will be stressful. Sound stockmanship involves convincing an animal the intended movement is their idea. Force is avoided and stress is reduced. The handler has to understand behavior before this can work. To understand behavior a sound understanding of flight zone and point of balance is needed.

8 Jan Feb May Jun Grass Roots 28 Flight zone The flight zone or pressure zone refers to the area around an animal where it begins to feel uncomfortable and perceives pressure. Movement by animal or human into that zone will elicit a response away from that intrusion. Use of the zone allows humans to manage movement in cattle. The most common figure depicting the concept of flight zone and point of balance is shown below. The most important point to remember about the flight zone is not the zone; it is the area immediately outside the flight zone. Stockmen must learn to anticipate, read and manage this boundary area. When approaching an animal it is important to predict the response to your approaching the flight zone. If the desired movement is not going to occur, the handler should retreat, reposition and return from a different angle. Point of Balance Another key part of effective stockmanship is understanding and manipulating the point of balance. The diagram above indicates the point of balance to be the point of the shoulder. Point of balance varies greatly among animals and is influenced by pressure from front or behind, draw of cattle ahead, push of cattle behind and whether or not they are comfortable going by the handler. Suffice it to say that the point of balance on any given animal is not necessarily where it is drawn on the diagram above. The point of balance is not static and is actually related to handler position relative to the animal s eye. Flight zone and point of balance are not static and can be manipulated and changed by human management. Flight zones need to be reduced on wild or nervous cattle and point of balance needs to be moved forward. Both can and should be done with proper handling. Handling Pointers Keeping these behavioral principles and methods of communicating in mind, following is a list of ten handling pointers to keep in mind and a few suggestions that will improve the ease of handling cattle, whether they are being gathered from the pasture or processed through the corrals. 1. Slow down so you can be fast. Never mistake motion for accomplishment Patience is a great virtue when moving or working cattle. When handlers get in a hurry, inevitably excessive or incorrect pressure is placed on cattle, which usually results in an unintended reaction from the cattle that must

9 Jan Feb May Jun Grass Roots 29 be corrected before work can continue. Most handlers have the mind set that as they go to a pen they are going through the gate and to the back of the pen to push the cattle out. Often little attention is paid as they enter the gate or move to the back of the pen. Nothing could be further from what needs to be done when handling cattle effectively. It is critical that handlers slow down as they approach cattle. Pay attention to cattle s reaction to your presence and use that to set up the next move. 2. Work from the front to draw cattle to you. This goes back to the basic principle #1. Cattle can be easily controlled from the front if they are not afraid of a human. (If they are afraid you are a long way from being able to handle cattle using low stress principles). Working from the front maintains their focus on the intended direction of movement. By moving in and out of the flight zone and across the point of balance, cattle can be easily drawn forward and past the handler. This is a key point in working with cattle in confinement. Pushing cattle out of confinement pens can be difficult and stressful on cattle and handlers. When moving cattle from a pen work from the front and draw the cattle toward the gate or opening. Start flow out into the alleyway and then work from the side of the group to keep flow going out the gate. 3. Cattle must be comfortable to go by you and stay straight. If cattle are not comfortable going by the handler, they will not work very well. Working from the front requires cattle to be comfortable passing by without balking or spooking. This simple principle facilitates penning, sorting and processing cattle. As point of balance moves forward (with training), moving, sorting and working cattle gets easier. Thus using the draw of other cattle makes it easier to work and sort cattle in an alley or from one corral to another. 4. Apply pressure when cattle have a place to go. Success of handling cattle depends on knowing when and where to apply pressure and how much pressure to apply. The other key component to effective stockmanship is setting the cattle up to go where you want them to go before you apply pressure. Equally important is the release of pressure as soon as the desired result is achieved. Low stress livestock handling is not about handling cattle without pressure. I reality it often requires a lot of pressure for a short period of time. 5. Pressure cattle from behind only when absolutely necessary. Like any prey animal, cattle cannot see directly behind. If you assume a position directly behind cattle (in their blind spot), they will turn to one side or the other in order to see you. To drive cattle in a straight line, assume a position behind their point of balance (shoulder) and off to either side. You can also work in a zigzag fashion behind the cattle causing them to switch eyes and move straight forward. Note: Move cattle in smaller groups. Larger groups are difficult to drive behind when motion is lost in the front of the cattle. Excess pressure has to be place on the cattle in the rear in order to force movement to resume throughout the group. 6. Pressure from the side. This relates back to working from the front and down the side of an animal and not working from directly be-

10 Jan Feb May Jun Grass Roots 10 2 hind (in their largest blind spot). By working from the side the eye can be manipulated as needed to move an animal in any direction 7. Going with the flow of cattle slows them down or stops their movement. It s all about that point of balance as you move in the same direction cattle are traveling, when you approach a position parallel to their point of balance, they will slow down, and as you pass the point of balance they will stop. The important part in this process is to get the cattle to stop without reversing their direction. Teach them to stop and stay pointed in the direction they were headed. 8. Going against the flow of cattle initiates or accelerates their movement. Using the point of balance as the tool to initiate movement passing from the front to the back signals an animal to move forward. Once movement is initiated it will normally continue until it is stopped by someone passing the point of balance by moving in front of the point of balance. The ability to start and stop movement works whether in a pasture setting or in the confinement of a crowd alley. 9. When working cattle, move in triangles. Working in an arch pattern around cattle will simulate movements of a predator, which will elicit a response of fight or flight. Move in straight lines when asking for a response from cattle. Move straight toward a point on an animal to get a response. Once movement is initiated the handlers next movement to reposition needs to be in a straight line at an angle away from the movement. Handler movement in the same direction as cattle flow will stop the movement just gained. Once repositioned the handler can then take a straight direct path back to the cattle to change movement. Move into their flight zone to create or correct movement. Retreating straight away from the flight zone slows or stops movement. 10. Cattle work best when they are ready - You have to get them there. Cattle have to be taught, conditioned and prepared to work. Unfortunately, today s cattle owners are short on time and experienced labor, and consequently, don t spend time acclimating cattle to new production settings. It is a process that will pay dividends for those who do spend the time. Numerous others will handle your cattle after they have left your care. Bad habits and unruly behavior in cattle and humans is learned. Shouting, whistling, poking and prodding cattle is unnecessary and counterproductive. In fact, they distract cattle from the intended movement. Development of effective stockmanship skills improves worker safety, animal performance and potentially increases income on each individual operation.

11 Jan Feb May Jun Grass Roots 11 2 Member Highlight - Nick Garza - Butch Taylor and Cody Scott - Humble, Unassuming, and a Strong Work Ethic: These three characteristics are admired by each of us. These are the characteristics we each attempt to instill in our children, students, or co-workers. Nick Garza, TSSRM member since 1982, certainly possesses all of these characteristics. The success of any professional organization is a function of its members who are willing to work toward success. The Texas Section Society for Range Management is a prime example of this. Numerous individuals have sacrificed their time and energy to make TSSRM a successful organization. But one individual who comes to my mind that has served unselfishly is Nick Garza. Nick has quietly worked behind the scenes to ensure any job gets done. He willingly accepts each responsibility and does an outstanding job at every task. This is best illustrated from his role as TSSRM Newsletter Editor from 1996 through Regardless of the role served, Nick never seeks recognition. Nonetheless, TSSRM has recognized Nick s contribution to the society. In 1996, Nick received the Special Recognition Award and the Fellow Award in 2000 for his service to the society. Nick s other activities for TSSRM are impressive and include: Member of County Level Awards Committee TSSRM Director from Chairman of Documents and Handbook Committee 1994 Member of Memorial Scholarship Committee Member of Mexico Relations Committee TSSRM Awards committee member Transferred the TSSRM Handbook to a computer based format about Annual meeting committee member: Del Rio and San Angelo Annual meeting co-chair, 2016 TSSRM Meeting in Uvalde Nick s contributions are not limited to TSSRM. He has also served on several SRM committees including: Rangelands Review Board about Excellence in Range Management Committee Designed Pre-convention Trail Boss for Fort Worth meeting in 2005 Strength of any organization lies in its members. Nick s contributions to TSSRM and SRM have certainly added strength to both.

12 Jan Feb 2011 Jan Feb 2011 May Jun 2015 Grass Roots Grass Roots Grass Roots 2 12 Texas Section SRM Awards One of the functions of a professional society is to properly recognize members who make significant contributions to the profession. The TSSRM Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for the following five awards and deadlines: - Fellow Award (Aug 15) - Special Recognition Awards (Aug 15) - Outstanding Contribution to Rangeland Management (Aug 15) - Outstanding Achievement (Aug 15) - Outstanding Young Range Professional (Aug 15) Award categories, criteria and nomination format can be found on the website: Please submit completed nominations to: James Jackson 1229 North U.S. Hwy 281 Stephenville, Texas or JamesR.Jackson@ag.tamu.edu Grass Roots Awards Grass Root nomination are now being accepted as well, deadlines are Jul 1. - Extension Agent - Ag Science Teacher - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) - Friend of TSSRM (other agencies, ag business, news reporters, etc.) Please begin sending nominations to: Erin Wied Erin.Wied@tx.usda.gov

13 TSSRM ANNUAL Meeting Rangeland Sustainability: Managing Toward an Integrated Future Focus on Sustainable Ranching Operations In 2014, McDonald s announced new goals for Sustainability by These goals included: Supporting sustainable beef production and to begin purchasing beef from verified sustainable sources in Will your operation qualify as a verified sustainable source? How do others define sustainability? These questions will be addressed by industry leaders, ranchers, and agency personnel. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to tour two productive and sustainable ranches, the Murray and Birdwell Ranches. This year s meeting will be held at the Hotel at Wichita Falls, 100 Central Freeway, Wichita Falls, Texas on October 7 through 9 th. Wednesday, October 7, :00 11:45: NRCS Training (Open to anyone interested) 1:00 6:00: Tours Diaz Murray Ranch and Emry and Deborah Birdwell Ranch 6:00 9:00: Reception and Steak Supper at Birdwell Ranch. (Shuttles from Hotel to Reception starting at 5:30). Thursday, October 8, :30 8:00 Board Meeting 7:00 8:00 Young Professionals Breakfast 8:30 College Plant ID/URME Photo Contest on Display Membership Plant I.D. Young Professional Posters on Display Morning Session: 8:30 9:15 Rickette Collins, McDonalds Viewpoint Sustainable Rangeland Use 9:15 10:00 Stan Bevers Texas AgriLife Extension--Long Term Stocking Decisions Under Variable Precipitation 10:15 11:00 Cameron Bruett JBS Sustainable Use Viewpoint 11:00 11:45 Frank Price Sustainable Use of Rangelands 11:45 1:15 Awards Luncheon Poncho Ortega is MC 1:00-5:00: Spouses Tour Afternoon Session: 1:15 2:00 Yates Adcock Rangeland Sustainability and Wildlife Considerations 2:00 2:45 Morgan Russell Long-term Considerations for Brush Control: Suppression or Root Kill? 3:00 3:45 Gary Price Water and Sustainability on Rangelands 3:45 4:30 Kim Stackhouse NCBA Views on Rangeland Use and Sustainability 4:30 5:00 Integrated Summary 5:00 5:45 Business Meeting 6:00 7:00 Reception 7:00 -- Awards Banquet 9:00 -- Picking Party sponsored by the Young Professionals Committee, Bring your instruments!

14 Friday, October 9, :30 8:00 Past Presidents Breakfast Friday Morning Session: 8:15 8:45 Michael Vance Encouraging Youth Participation 8:45 Noon Young Professionals Forum

15 Texas Section Society for Range Management Annual Meeting Rangeland Sustainability: Managing Toward an Integrated Future October Hotel at Wichita Falls 100 Central Freeway, Wichita Falls, Texas *Early Registration Cutoff Friday, September 4, 2015* Registration Fee Includes: Mixer/Social, Awards Luncheon and Banquet *Please mark all events you plan to attend* Registration Fees Cost/Person Early Late Number Total ($) Exhibitor or Non-member Speakers N/C N/C Member $100 $125 Non-member $100 $125 Spouse $60 $65 Student $75 $75 Day Registration $35 $35 (No meals included; Thursday or Friday only) Wednesday, October 7, 2015 NRCS Training Session and Lunch $10 $15 Ranch Tour and Steak Dinner $25 $30 Steak Dinner only (no Ranch tour) $20 $25 Thursday, October 8, 2015 TSSRM Young Professionals Breakfast N/C N/C Spouses Tour $10 $10 Awards Luncheon (included in registration) Spouse (included in registration) Extra Awards Luncheon Ticket $15 $15 Awards Banquet (included in registration) Spouse (included in registration) Extra Awards Banquet Ticket $30 $30 Friday, October 9, 2015 TSSRM Past President s Breakfast N/C N/C (Past Presidents and Charter Members) **Make Payments Online: Please Make Checks Payable to: TSSRM Total Amount Enclosed $

16 Texas Section Society for Range Management Annual Meeting October 7-9, 2015 Hotel Information: Hotel at Wichita Falls *Host Hotel Hotel at Wichita Falls 100 Central Freeway Wichita Falls, Phone: Toll Free: Room Blocks End September 4, 2015 As for Texas Section Society for Range Management Block For special rates. Registrations postmarked after September 4, 2015 must pay late registration price. Name: Spouse s Name: Address: City, State, Zip: Phone Number: Occupation/Job Title: Employer: Refund Requests must be received by September 25, No refunds will be made after this date.. Return Registration Forms and Checks made payable to TSSRM to: Reggie Quiett, 2818 Center Dr., Vernon, TX Phone: (940) For further information, rsiebman@sbcglobal.net or rquiett@cebridge.net