Landowners in Cooke County are invited to a one-day workshop on October 2 with Texas A&M AgriLife at Dixon Ranches Leo Unit. From 7:30am to 4pm, participants will learn about recognizing the cross timbers, wildlife habitat management & tax appraisals, range management, conservation easements, soils, and invasive plants. Admission is $20. CEUs available. For a complete program, download a PDF of the Cross Timbers Landowner Workshop agenda.
EVENTS
Overlook Trail Grand Opening on Sept. 26
Check out the walking trail at Dixon Ranches Mimms Unit and learn to identify native grasses during the Overlook Trail Grand Opening on September 26 in Marfa.
The opening kicks off at 9:30 am at the ranch headquarters at the north end of Austin Street in Marfa. There will be an introduction to the Dixon Water Foundation’s mission and the grazing methods being used to improve the land and watershed at Dixon Ranches Mimms Unit.
Then at 10 am, Dr. Michael Powell will lead a free grass-identification workshop. Powell is Director of the Herbarium at Sul Ross State University, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biology, and author of numerous books and journal articles on plants native to the Chihuahuan Desert Region.
Following the grass workshop, practice your new plant-recognition skills during a group hike to the Overlook viewing area, designed by Marfa’s Joey Benton. Local flora and fauna experts from the Texas Master Naturalists Tierra Grande Chapter will be in the group to answer questions along the way.
There is no cost for the workshop or trail access. Reservations for the grass workshop are requested by September 18. Please submit this online registration form or email media@dixonwater.org.
The 2.5-mile walking trail at Mimms is open during daylight hours and features exhibits about grazing management and the high-desert environment. The trail ends at the Overlook viewing area, where visitors can sit and appreciate spectacular views of the Marfa grasslands and surrounding mountains.
The foundation’s West Texas office and the trailhead are at the north end of Austin Street in Marfa. Please read and respect the guidelines for trail visitors posted at the entrance to the ranch. Dogs must remain leashed. Bicycles, motorized vehicles, camping, and firearms are not permitted.
The Dixon Water Foundation promotes healthy watersheds through sustainable land management to ensure that future generations have the water resources they need. The foundation demonstrates environmentally and economically sound ways to manage rangeland, while producing grass-finished beef, at the four Dixon Ranches in Texas.
North Texas Land Scholars application deadline July 1
North Texas Land Scholars is a five-day leadership camp that fosters a passion for land stewardship through hands-on activities like hunter safety, plant and insect collections, quail habitat analysis and dissections, and much more. A partner of the Dixon Water Foundation, UNT Quail created this program to encourage youth to become responsible leaders and land stewards, and ultimately to restore the ranch and wildlife legacy of Texas. The application deadline is July 1, and the 2015 camp runs July 26-31 at Camp Grady Spruce. Financial assistance is available, and scholarships are awarded during the camp. For more information and an application, visit the North Texas Land Scholars website.
Hickory Creek Watershed workshop in Denton May 21
A Texas Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Workshop in the Hickory Creek Watershed will be held on May 21 in Denton. The training will focus on the nature and function of stream and riparian zones and the benefits and direct impacts from healthy riparian zones. This workshop is supported in part by a grant from the Dixon Water Foundation and is being co-hosted by the City of Denton and the Upper Trinity Conservation Trust. Learn more about this program and similar riparian workshops on the Texas Riparian Association’s website. RSVP required by May 15.
Land-use change in the Trans-Pecos
Texas’s water supply depends heavily on the stewardship of private agricultural land, which is increasingly being fragmented and developed. Learn more about changing land use in the Trans-Pecos and tools for private lands conservation at an upcoming seminar, “Going, Going, Gone!” on April 30th in Alpine. To learn more and register, visit the Texas Agricultural Land Trust website.
Talking Dirty: soil health workshop Mar. 20-21
If you consider yourself a gardener, farmer, rancher or landscape architect, think again.
“Instead, you are a soil manager,” says Dr. Elaine Ingham, who will be giving a workshop and free lecture on soil health March 20-21 at Cedar Valley College in Lancaster.
Ingham is a leading soil microbiologist, composting guru, and former chief scientist of the organic-farming icon, The Rodale Institute. Whether your soil is growing tomatoes in an urban backyard or cattle forage in a pasture, Ingham offers practical knowledge about how to make soils and plants flourish without synthetic chemicals.
The free lecture on Friday, “Talking Dirty Soil Solutions,” provides an introduction to the soil food web—the complex system of microorganisms that create and sustain healthy, fertile soil. The lecture will be held in the Cedar Valley College gym from 9am to 10am.
A full-day workshop on Saturday delves deeper into the soil food web, compost, and compost tea technology. Ingham will explain the elements of a thriving soil food web, teach participants how to analyze and improve soil, and demonstrate how to make composts and organic extracts to strengthen the soil food web. This workshop costs $99 and will be held from 9am to 5pm in Cedar Valley College rooms M121-M122.
Ingham will share more of her wisdom during a benefit dinner on Thursday, March 19, at the Farm Girls’ Waxahachie classroom. Live music by Justin Smith and a farm-to-table banquet prepared by Chef Amy, co-owner of Field to Meal, will raise funds to provide free workshop passes for agricultural producers. The festivities start at 7pm and the requested donation is $65 to $150. To reserve a spot at the banquet, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/farm-to-fork-dinner-benefitting-farmers-tickets-15826384141
For more information, to register, or to nominate a producer for a free workshop pass, visit carboneconomyseries.com or call (469) 554-9202. The lecture and workshop are presented by the Carbon Economy Series, in partnership with the Dixon Water Foundation.
Soil Health Conference in Fort Worth on Jan. 13 & 14
Green Cover Seed will be hosting the Southern Soil Health Conference, an Educational Opportunity for Producers and Land Owners, in Fort Worth on January 13 and 14, 2015.
The Dixon Water Foundation is one of several organizations sponsoring the conference: Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Texas Grazing Land Conservation Initiative, No-Till on the Plains, Sand County Foundation, Out On The Land, and Natural Resources Defense Council.
This unique conference will focus solely on the Five Keys to Soil Health: Keep the Soil Covered; Minimize Soil Disturbance; Crop Diversity; Living Roots in Soil at all times; and Integration of Livestock with the Land. This conference is for producers and land owners, 75% of the registration slots will be reserved for people directly involved with the land: production agriculture (crops and/or livestock) and land owners. This conference will also be producer driven with almost all the speakers and presenters being farmers. Keynote speakers will include; Gabe Brown, Scott Ravenkamp, Robin and Kelly Griffeth, and Paul Jasa. In addition, we will have 8-10 Texas and Oklahoma producers sharing about their individual experiences with Soil Health and how it has affected their farming operations. Some of these speakers are Todd Kimbrell, Terry McAllister, Jonathan Cobb,and Lisa Bellows. And this conference is about knowledge and learning and not selling products. We will not be having a commercial trade show to promote individual companies or products.
To register or learn more, visit Green Cover Seed’s conference website.
Location:
Best Western Plus South
100 Altamesa Boulevard E
Fort Worth, Texas, 76134
Phone: 817.293.3088
Date: January 13th & 14th, 2015
Cost: $100 Per Person – Your Spouse can register for $50**
*NOTICE – The cost of registration DOES NOT reserve your hotel room. You must book and cover the cost of your hotel room on your own. To reserve your room at the Best Western Plus, contact the hotel (information listed above) and be sure and mention Southern Soil Health Conference when you are booking your room to get the discounted rate of $69 per night.
Rendezvous recap
In early November, more than 200 people celebrated healthy lands and a sustainable future during Rendezvous 2014 at Dixon Ranches Leo Unit. The sold-out weekend included the Josey Pavilion Grand Opening, HMI’s 30th Anniversary Celebration, and two Open Gate Ranch Days at Dixon Ranches Leo Unit and the Running High Ranch in Bowie. Enjoy a recap of the event in the image gallery below:
Holistic Management Rendezvous Nov. 7-9
The Dixon Water Foundation and Holistic Management International are co-hosting the Holistic Management Rendezvous November 7 – 9 at Leo Unit in Cooke County and the Running High Ranch in Bowie.
Learn, grow and connect as we get out on the land, learn from each other, swap stories, and share ideas on how best to manage land for a sustainable future. This unique event will include the Josey Pavilion Grand Opening, HMI’s 30th Anniversary Celebration, and two Open Gate Ranch Days at Dixon Ranches Leo Unit and the Running High Ranch in Bowie.
While we are expecting a large contingent of land stewards, ranchers and organic farmers from Texas, we’ve already got a number of confirmed producers flying in from around the US and several continents. While there will be plenty of time to network with your peers, enjoy fine dining and live entertainment, we’ve also got a number of in-depth learning opportunities for you to expand your skills and knowledge of Holistic Management. This includes an optional post Rendezvous workshop following the main events.
To register, view the schedule, or learn more about this event, visit HMI’s website.
Society for Range Management to visit Mimms and Alamito Creek
“Borderland Conservation: Two Countries, One Cause,” the 65th Annual Meeting for the Texas Section of the Society for Range Management, is being held in Alpine and Marfa October 7-9. A ranch tour of Dixon Ranches Mimms Unit is scheduled for Wednesday, with presentations on field recognition of ecological sites, soil interpretation, map unit design, and soil inclusions.
