Landowners, ranchers and producers are invited to attend the Blackland Prairie Ranch Economics Conference, which will be held at the Fletcher-Warren Civic Center located in Greenville, Texas, on Sept. 19, 2008. The cost of the conference is $5.00 per person.

Registration starts at 8:00 a.m., and the workshop will be held from 8:00 a.m. through 3:30 p.m. at the civic center, and lunch is planned for all registered attendees. All attendees will receive valuable information about ranch economics and profitability from presentations by conservation professionals. Also, three hours of pesticide applicator’s license continuing education units will be offered during the conference.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will present discussions regarding getting started with stocking rates, economical alternatives to inorganic fertilizers, and federal assistance through Farm Bill programs. Other conservation presentations include maintaining profitability in forage-based production systems, economics of forage fertilization and hay production, and adding value and marketing beef cattle.

“The goal of the conference will be to address very timely issues and provide Blackland Prairie ranchers and landowners with the economic tools to help make ecologically sound decisions, while remaining economically feasible,” said Jeff Goodwin, NRCS rangeland management specialist in Corsicana, Texas.

To end the conference, a rancher’s panel will discuss staying profitable in your ranch operation. The panel will include Chip Merrill, who operates the XXX Ranch in Tarrant County, Kenneth Braddock, manager for Rosewood Ranches in Navarro County, and Jim Russell, owner of Jim Russell Hay and Sprig Farm in Hopkins County.

Sponsors for the Blackland Prairie Ranch Economics Conference include NRCS, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Texas AgriLife Extension, Texas GLCI, Blackland Prairie GLCI, Upper Sabine Soil and Water Conservation District, and Hunt County Farm Supply.

For those who plan on attending the conference, please RSVP by Sept. 12, 2008, at (903) 455-6212 Ext.3. For more information, please contact Jeff Goodwin at (903) 874-5131 Ext.3, or Randy Henry at (817) 467-3867. GLCI information can be obtained at http://www.glci.org and www.tx..nrcs.gov or contact your local NRCS service center for details.