Landowners can get a first-hand look at the difference prescribed burning can make to ranchland five and 10 years later during the “Gathering at the JA: Prescribed Fire in Ranching Systems” field day on Oct. 23.

Texas AgriLife Extension Service and Texas AgriLife Research will sponsor the field day from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the JA Ranch at Paloduro.

To get to the JA Ranch, go south out of Claude on State Hwy. 207 for 13.6 miles and turn left on Farm-to-Market Road 2272. Turn left on FM 2272 for 6.1 miles to County Road 21 and follow it almost 10 miles to the ranch headquarters.

“Prescribed burning is one of the most beneficial, cost-effective practices in the range management toolbox,” said Ken Cearley, AgriLife Extension wildlife management specialist in Canyon. “With proper training and preparation, prescribed fire can be expected to significantly increase range productivity and usefulness for both livestock and wildlife.”

Attendees will have the opportunity to see examples of the successful application of fire for rangeland improvement and will learn many of the ins and outs of its implementation from experienced practitioners, Cearley said.

Early registration will be $25 and must be made by Oct. 16 to guarantee a steak at lunch, said Dr. Ted McCollum, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist. The fee will be $35 thereafter and at the door.

Registration can be made by mailing a check to Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Amarillo, 6500 W. Amarillo Blvd., Amarillo, Texas 79106 with the check payable to "Texas AgriLife Research," or by calling Ronda Fisher at 806-677-5600.

The meeting will start at 9:30 a.m. with a JA Ranch welcome and then the group will tour various areas on the ranch that have undergone prescribed burns sometime during the past 10 years, McCollum said.

This will not be training on how to conduct a prescribed burn, he said. Instead, JA personnel will discuss at each stop when a burn was conducted and what they tried to accomplish. AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension and Texas Tech University resource personnel will be available to discuss the results.

About noon, the group will return to the headquarters for a steak lunch. During the lunch, the Texas Panhandle Prescribed Burn Association will discuss their organization and how they work with landowners who want to implement prescribed burns.

After lunch, the tour will resume at other sites. The program will end by 3 p.m.

For more information, contact Ted McCollum at 806-677-5600 or Ken Cearley at 806-651-5760.