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Many ranches in Texas are changing ownership. Some are being purchased by professional and business people who live in the larger metropolitan communities but enjoy the outdoors and the lifestyle that a ranch can afford. Others may be one or two generations off the ranch, but have inherited the ranch and are now the primary managers.
Most of the "new" Texas' ranchers have little practical knowledge of rangeland management and are educated in other fields of endeavor. They are, however, eager to learn more about the natural resources of their ranch and how they can improve upon past management.
The Rangeland Restoration and Management course starts with a history of grazing on the Edwards Plateau. Participants explore the resources available on the ranch in an outdoor environment. That includes the kinds of plants, the way plants grow and why management of grazing is so important. Next we talk about the animals that graze the plants, including livestock and wildlife.
Participants learn to use tools that will help them evaluate the current condition and the trend (improving to degrading) of their pastures the next time they are on the ranch. They are also introduced to The Grazing Manager (TGM), a software program that assists the manager to plan and monitor the grazing on their ranch.
The participants are divided into groups so that there can be more interaction between the students and the instructors. The groups develop a grazing and brush management plan for an example ranch and present the plan to the other participants.
If you are interested in learning more about the natural resources of your rangeland, we would love to see you at our next workshop.
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