News Update
February 19, 2015
Ellis Receives Honor for Advancing Rangeland Management
Noble Foundation Pasture and Range Consultant Chad Ellis has been selected as the 2015 Society of Range Management (SRM) Association Outstanding Young Range Professional honor award recipient. Ellis was honored Tuesday, Feb. 3, at the society’s 2015 annual meeting.
Ellis was selected for the award because of his dedication to improving rangeland management. “Chad is a tremendous asset to the Noble Foundation,” said Bill Buckner, Noble Foundation president and CEO. “He is a knowledgeable advocate for rangeland management issues, and he is effective in communicating those issues to producers and others in the agriculture industry.”
This award is presented to an individual member who has demonstrated extraordinary potential and promise as a range-management professional. “It is an honor to be selected by my peers,” Ellis said, “This award is about more than just my accomplishments; it’s about the mentors and people who have advised, guided and motivated my passion for rangelands.”
Ellis is a member of the Florida, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma Sections of SRM. He serves on the board of directors for the Oklahoma Section. Ellis is active in the National Grazing Lands Coalition, serving as chairman, and advisor on the Texas and Kansas chapters. He is also a member of American Forage and Grassland Council, The Wildlife Society, and Oklahoma Wildlife Management Association.
“Chad’s knowledge on rangeland management issues and ability to effectively communicate those issues to producers is at the core of what the Noble Foundation does,” said Russell Stevens, Noble Foundation wildlife and fisheries consultant and the individual who nominated Ellis. “His whole focus is helping farmers and ranchers in any way he can. This award was just one small way of recognizing his contribution to our greater mission.”
Ellis received his bachelor’s degree in natural resource management from Sul Ross State University in 1999 and master’s degree in range management from Angelo State University in 2001.
NMSU to Host Weed Symposium in Four Corners Region
Fighting invasive rangeland weeds takes a community effort. One rancher can only eliminate the unwanted plants from his or her land, but if a neighbor’s property is infested, it is a losing battle because of windblown seeds.
To help farmers and ranchers in the Four Corners area to come together in the battle, the New Mexico State University (NMSU) San Juan County Cooperative Extension Service office will host the 22nd annual Four Corners Weed Symposium on Invasive Rangeland Weeds, Tuesday, March 3, at McGee Park, 41 County Road 5568, in Farmington.
“This event is designed to help a variety of people to receive the most up-to-date information from experts in the Rocky Mountain Region,” said Bonnie Hopkins, San Juan County Extension agricultural agent. “We would like landowners, oil and gas personnel, environmental consultants, weed spraying consultants, and regulators with weed-control responsibilities to attend.”
Topics to be addressed will be reducing pesticide exposure to protect yourself and others; controlling knapweed and herbicide resistance; industrial row, noxious weeds and controlling halogeton; New Mexico department of agriculture update; Colorado Department of Agriculture update; weed inventory tools and 2015 cost-sharing opportunities; rangeland brush control; and sprayer calibration.
For more information, contact Hopkins at bhopkins@nmsu.edu or call 505-334-9496.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Workshop for Farm and Ranch Women
set for April and May in Fort Worth
New U.S. census data indicates that more women in Texas are managing farms today than since 2007, and a series of workshops is scheduled in Fort Worth to help cater to this trend, according to an expert.
Annie’s Project is an educational program dedicated to strengthening women’s roles in the modern farm enterprise, said Jason Johnson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist, Stephenville. The series will be offered in six sessions, from 6-9 p.m. each Tuesday beginning April 9 through May 14, at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden — Garden Center, 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas.
Designed to help educate on the fundamentals of maintaining a farm, Annie’s Project, a women’s workshop series, empowers farm women to be better business partners through networks and by managing and organizing critical information, Johnson said.
“Often farm women do not feel comfortable in the coffee-shop network that is so familiar to farm and ranch men,” Johnson said. “Annie’s Project provides a place where farm women can learn both from the perspectives of local agricultural professionals, as well as the experiences of other class members.”
Cost is $50 per person, and class size is limited to 30, he said. Registration slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
The conference is sponsored by AgriLife Extension, with program support provided by Farm Credit Bank of Texas.
Scheduled speakers include a broad spectrum of local professionals, practitioners and experts from Texas Farm Bureau insurance, USDA Farm Service Agency, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, crop insurance, farm credit, as well as an agricultural attorney, family financial management specialist and a registered investment advisor.
Additional information about the program and how other farm women nationally have benefitted is available at www.extension.iastate.edu/annie.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
MU Field Day Focuses on Enhancing Habitats
for Bobwhite Quail
Bobwhite quail, known for their whistle-like bob-bob-white song, are a critical indicator of the health of a habitat. Their numbers are declining in the Midwest. A project at the University of Missouri (MU) is designed to inform landowners on ways they can help save the little bird.
A field day 8 a.m. to noon on June 27 at the Bradford Research Center, east of Columbia, will showcase management practices and techniques farmers and ranchers can use to improve bobwhite habitat and increase populations on their property.
Bobwhite quail are small game birds, weighing only 5 to 6 ounces, that can fly short distances. Bobwhite populations have suffered since the 1950s when intensive farming production practices destroyed much of their habitat. Today’s quail population is only about one-fifth of what it was in those days.
Since 2003, a research project at Bradford has tested practical ways farmers can maintain maximum productivity, while leaving enough habitat for the bobwhite to thrive. Since that time, Audubon Society counts have recorded a 23-fold quail population increase at the research farm due to these management practices.
The field day will feature four tours of field operations reflecting best management techniques.
One tour, Farm and Habitat Management, will discuss the best practices field burning. Topics include how to determine the objective of the burning, the best timing, safety and how to use sprayers to control the fire. This tour will also discuss proper disking for wildlife and using sprayers to kill unwanted invasive plants.
The second tour is called Managing Field Edges for Wildlife. Topics here include edge feathering, hinge cutting, forest thinning, brush management and determining field size to promote wildlife.
The third tour, Crop Field Management, details pollinator and eco-type planting, cover-crop refuges for pollinators and wildlife, and various farm agency programs.
Conservation Habitat Management Techniques, the fourth tour, will teach landowners how to determine quail populations by counting their whistles and creating a habitat plan to increase the birds’ numbers.
There will be one classroom session called Quail 101. This will be a discussion by experts on basic habitat management to promote quail. This session includes an interactive tour and a question-and-answer opportunity.
The event is free and requires no registration.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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