Grazing Lands Focus of Upcoming National Conference
The National Grazing Lands Coalition (NatGLC) will host the 7th National Conference on Grazing Lands Dec. 2-5, 2018, at the Peppermill in Reno, Nev. Conference organizers expect more than 800 ranchers, professors, land managers, researchers, public officials, conservationists, and students to attend this national conference and participate in the exchange of ideas and information on the latest grazing land issues.
“We are excited about bringing this national conference to Nevada,” said Chad Ellis, chair of the National Grazing Lands Coalition. “Grazing lands make up more than a quarter of the private land acres in the United States and serve many roles from homes for livestock and wildlife to sponges for rainfall, carbon reservoirs, hunting and fishing grounds, and much, much more.”
Featured speakers include two renowned grazing experts, Jim Gerrish and Fred Provenza. Gerrish is a grazing lands producer and consultant dedicated to aiding farmers and ranchers in more effectively managing their grazing lands for economic and environmental sustainability. Provenza is a professor emeritus at Utah State University who produced groundbreaking research over a more than 30-year career that laid the foundations for what is now known as behavior-based landscape management.
“What makes this conference unique is the range of speakers we will have, from grazing land experts to ‘cowboy experts,’ the individuals who have gained their expertise through long hours working with livestock,” said Chad Ellis, chair of the National Grazing Lands Coalition. “We invite everyone to submit a paper or abstract to make an oral presentation or present a poster paper.”
Abstracts are due by May 15, 2018. Producer panels, featuring three to five producers per panel, will cover the following topics:
- Transition Planning
- Leases and Working with Absentee Landowners
- Reducing Winter Feeding Costs
- Diversified Livestock Watering Systems and Fire Resiliency
In addition, the NatGLC will hold a Conservation Innovation Grant symposium on Monday afternoon to highlight progress on the “Outreach on Grazing Land to Enhance Economic Analysis (Cost Benefit) for Conservation Changes.”
Early registration of $295 is available through March 31, 2018, followed by regular online registration of $395 until Oct. 15, 2018. After that date, registration increases to $475. Registration online, and obtain more information about opportunities to exhibit or participate in poster presentations at www.grazinglands.org.