TWA/TSCRA 2006 Third Annual Conference

San Angelo, Texas

The weather was great and the hospitality was even better for over 100 ranchers from all over Texas that traveled to San Angelo for a two day conference entitled, “Livestock & Wildlife: Maximizing Profit - Minimizing Conflict.” This third annual event, held on May 10 and 11, was hosted by the Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) and the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) at the Texas A&M Center in San Angelo.

Several state and federal land management agencies came together to provide a forum of knowledge and expertise in the areas of land, wildlife and livestock management. Even experienced ranchers and wildlife managers commented they learned new things due to the creative presentation of the material.

Jon Means, fourth generation rancher in Van Horn, managing partner of Means Ranch Co., and First Vice President of TSCRA, welcomed the group to San Angelo.

With his signature creative style, Dale Rollins, professor and Texas Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist in San Angelo set the stage for the conference with his concept of “The Camouflage Cowboy Hat.” Whether they wore a silver belly Stetson, or a camouflaged hunting cap, attendees gained a new perspective from this session.

Steve Nelle, wildlife biologist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in San Angelo followed with his presentation, “The Watershed Walk.” This unique land stewardship presentation was designed to assist landowners in their decision-making process. His “virtual watershed walk” helped landowners develop a critical self-assessment of their management philosophy, as well as help them understand the perspectives of their neighbors.

The group then departed for the Cargile Family's S Ranch where Kyle Clement, general manager of the 5H Cattle Company and Clement Ranch in Albany, Texas gave an outstanding livestock demonstration titled, “Life Lessons from Livestock.” Clements demonstrated and discussed several valuable lessons that lead to a low stress, harmonious, and yet profitable stewardship of land, livestock and wildlife.

The group also had a hands-on plant identification tour on the S Ranch so they could learn more about the plants on their land and their relative values for wildlife and livestock. This pasture tour featured some of the most knowledgeable Texas plant experts in the industry, including NRCS State Conservationist Dr. Larry Butler. Attendees left with a heightened awareness of key plants and the important roles they play.

A dinner of prime rib was served at the S Ranch Hunting Lodge and featured an entertaining “Show Me the Money” presentation by Dr. Jason Johnson, Assistant Professor and Extension Economist, San Angelo. While most ranchers know that the business of hunting can put money in their pockets, Johnson helped illustrate how the hunting industry beneficially impacts local economies statewide. His presentation also offered key talking points for sharing the value of our hunting heritage with others.

The keynote speaker for the evening was Forrest Armke, manager of the 32,000 acre Ford Ranch in Menard, Concho and McCullogh Counties, 12 miles west of Brady, Texas. Armke explained to the group that his intertwined management of wildlife and livestock were managed to complement each other.

“Both our livestock and our hunters are an important part of the whole. Each part has a necessary contribution to make to benefit the land and the people. Managed together to complement each other, the system improves as a whole,” Armke explained.

The group arrived at the Clark Ranch Headquarters bright an early the next morning for a closer look at wildlife and livestock forage habits. This exercise built on the previous day’s discussions of individual plant ID and their relative value for livestock and wildlife. Dr. Bill Eikenhorst, DVM in Brenham; Dr. Bob Dittmar, DVM in Kerrville; Dr. John Walla, DVM in Navasota, Dr. Dan McBride, DVM in Burnet and Ruben Cantu, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Regional Director in San Angelo, all gave demonstrations on the value of plants from the perspective of their journey through the animal’s digestive system. By observing the digestive, physiological, and adaptational characteristics of various livestock and wildlife species, participants gained knowledge that will guide their management decisions. The goal of the exercise was to help landowners identify where forage and habitat conflicts may exist, and what management decisions can be made to lessen those conflicts.

Texas Wildlife Association Executive Vice President Kirby Brown advised landowners of water issues in his presentation, “Water for Texas: What Every Land Manager Needs to Know.” Brown stressed the future of water in Texas rests primarily on the management decisions made by land stewards across the state and the ability of Texans to understand this concept. From the back forty to your local courthouse to the halls of the Capital Building, Brown outlined strategies to combat Texas' looming water crisis.

Many people remember when New Year's Day 2006 brought firestorms that claimed over 80,000 acres of rangeland in the San Angelo area, including a substantial portion of the Clark ranch. Conference participants were given the opportunity to tour a portion of the scorched country. Allen Curry, owner and operator of the family owned Clark Ranch, gave his account of that harrowing day and how his land has recovered in the months that have passed.
A substantial portion of Curry’s family ranch was burned, along with some 18 miles of fence. Curry reported that no livestock perished in the fire, however some wildlife did succumb to the flames.

“It was a very scary situation,” Curry said. “It was burning so fast and so hot that we basically just got the heck away. There was little we could do. The low humidity really hurt us.”

Curry explained the financial hardship the fire brought, due to the inability to use the land for forage production and livestock grazing. Then he said the NRCS offered assistance right away with cost-share assistance through the USDA-NRCS Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) for interior fencing and grazing deferment.

“They (NRCS) really came through for us; it was like rain from the heavens,” Curry told listeners. “It was the help we needed, right when we needed it.”

While at this station, Dr. Allan McGinty, Texas Cooperative Extension professor and extension range specialist in San Angelo, Ruben Cantu, and Dr. Dale Rollins all talked bout how to best rehabilitate burned areas, with regard to land, livestock and wildlife. They also discussed brush and prickly pear control methods with perspectives from range, livestock and wildlife.

Lunch was served at the Clark Ranch Headquarters where Clayton Wolf, Texas Parks and Wildlife Big Game Program Leader, wrapped up the event with perspectives on land stewardship, the future of ranching in Texas, the changing social dynamics of natural resource management. He encouraged livestock and wildlife managers to develop a deeper understanding of each other’s goals and work together on issues that are similar to gain more support and promote education of stewardship activities.

While the intensive two-day course could have been overwhelming, almost all participants left with renewed energy and vision to accomplish the goal of “maximizing profit and minimizing conflict” on their land. In addition to the knowledge gained, they also developed a network of livestock producers, wildlife managers and specialists, land stewards and more that all have a common goal of promoting sound stewardship of Texas’ wild life and natural resources.

Land managers and wildlife enthusiasts interested in attending the annual event can check out the Texas Wildlife Association website at
www.texas-wildlife.org next spring to get details for the 2007 event.

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