2024 CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS
We are offering 5 unique and in-depth pre/post conference workshops.
These can be taken in conjunction with the conference, or on their own.
SOIL HEALTH & REGENERATIVE GRAZING SCHOOL
Building Profitable and Resilient Landscapes
Saturday Aug 3rd — Sunday Aug 4th, 8am-4:30pm
SKM Ranch & TX State University , San Marcos TX
Whether you're exploring regenerative methods for your agricultural practice or looking to expand your existing knowledge, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to learn from top educators alongside a small group of fellow producers.
This hands-on Grazing School is packed with information to help you build a profitable operation while nurturing a robust, resilient landscape.
We all start with land that needs careful stewardship to reach its full potential!
Field Sessions (Day 1 Morning & Day 2 Morning):
• Hands-on ecosystem function and forage assessments
• Interpreting observations for management decisions
• Strategies for improving forage and animal performance
Classroom Sessions (Day 1 Afternoon & Day 2 Afternoon):
• Principles of Holistic Management
• Essential ecosystem functions and management tools
• Techniques for managing land recovery
• Developing a Holistic Grazing Plan
You'll gain practical tools and knowledge to implement on your land, empowering you to improve your landscape, increase profitability, and create a more sustainable and fulfilling agricultural operation.
Don't miss this opportunity to transform your approach to land management and grazing practices!
INSTRUCTORS:
Dr. Ken Mix is the Program director of The Small Producer Initiative at Texas State University and currently teaches entomology, soil health, and crop production, with active research on small producer needs, soil, and water resources. He is a former vegetable producer and currently runs SKM Homestead, a small livestock and mixed produce 50-acre farm in Fentress, Texas.
Christine Martin is a Holistic Management International Professional Certified Educator and coaches clients in improving their land, their finances and their quality of life, moving them towards their dream life! On her ranch in Leon County, TX, she raises clean (no chemicals, hormones or antibiotics) and nutrient dense beef, chicken, turkey and eggs, which she sells direct to consumer. Using Holistic Management principles
and practices, the livestock are managed to allow the four fundamental ecosystem functions to be restored thus improving the health and carrying capacity of her land.
Wayne Knight serves as Executive Director and Professional Certified Educator for Holistic Management International (HMI). He as 27 years of ranching experience using Holistic Management, following the footsteps of his father, Tom Knight, an early adopter of Holistic Management under Allan Savory. He has spoken at numerous conferences in Southern Africa, trained and mentored farmers, hosted open days on his property, and has written about his positive results using Holistic Management.
Workshop Price $200
Lunch provided on both days
*10 scholarships are available for this workshop and can be applied for by accessing the scholarship page on the conference website.
Select participants from this workshop will be invited to join HMI’s year-long Regenerative Ag Mentoring Program, RAMP.
Profiting from Pastured Animals
Nixon City Hall Conference Center, Nixon, TX
Saturday Aug 3rd — Sunday Aug 4th, Nixon TX, 9am-5pm
This 2 day session discusses the marketing aspects, legal requirements, and business formation regarding pastured proteins.
This workshop is one of a series, hosted by the Council for Healthy Food Systems, with a mission to give farmers the marketing and business skills they need to tap into the expanding market for locally raised, pastured meats, poultry, and eggs.
This program will not only help farmers build business skills … it will bolster a community of farmers and ranchers who share their challenges and successes and work together to build a statewide movement in support of locally raised food. CHFS will host regular group calls with workshop attendees to get support from the workshop instructors and their fellow farmers.
All those in attendance also have the opportunity to receive a full marketing package they can customize to promote their Texas-raised products. We’ll also launch our own campaign to educate consumers about the importance of buying Texas-raised meat, poultry, and eggs, to help increase consumer demand and loyalty.
The workshop is designed to particularly benefit:
Beginning farmers — or any farmer who feels like they need help with the business, marketing, and regulatory aspects.
Existing farmers who are considering diversifying their operations.
Conventional livestock farmers who might be considering direct marketing alternatives for their businesses.
The main topics we’ll cover during each two-day event include:
Market analysis to determine which products on which to focus.
Financial considerations, including how to do a cost-benefit analysis.
Marketing techniques for selling direct-to-consumer.
Options for how to handle sales and distribution.
Regulatory issues related to sales of animal products.
Price: $20
If the registration fee is a hardship to you, please fill out a very brief Scholarship Form before registering. We will notify you as soon as possible regarding a scholarship.
INSTRUCTORS:
Doug Havemann is a reformed technologist of 20+ years and a U.S. Army veteran, actively engaged in teaching regenerative agriculture to US military veterans, active duty, and beginning farmers and ranchers. Doug and his wife, Melissa, run Mesquite Field Farm, one of the mentor farms in the Battleground to Breaking Ground program.
Judith McGeary is an attorney, activist, and sustainable farmer. After earning her Bachelors of Science from Stanford University and her law degree from UT Austin, she clerked for a Federal Court of Appeal and went on to private law practice. During that time, she became a passionate advocate of sustainable agriculture, and she and her husband established their own livestock farm. After seeing how government regulations benefit industrial agriculture at the expense of family farms, she founded the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance to promote common-sense policies for local, diversified agricultural systems.
Greg and Traci Rickert are CPAs who began farming and ranching in 2018. Managing the ranch business while continuing to work their off-farm CPA jobs, they know that keeping meticulous records allows for proper tax planning, management of cashflow and provides opportunities to work with outside parties for the betterment of progress and accomplishing your goals. In that, they are happy to share their experiences and help point new and old farmers/ranchers in the right direction.
Getting Into Your Books: Intro to Farm Financial Management and Strategy
Sunday Aug 4th, 9am-3pm, LBJ Student Center @ TX State University
Learn about habits that create wealth, personal money strategies, and utilizing practical resources to support your financial and business growth.
In this session we will cover:
Establishing A Wealth Building Mindset
Taking Inventory To Take Control
Planning For Profit
Establishing Additional Income
Tracking & Assessing Your Progress
Making Money-Smart Adjustments Along The Way
INSTRUCTORS:
Pratheesh Omana
Sarah Hyde
P. Wade Ross is the co-owner of Hoaganie Farm Products, a cattle and grass farming operation just outside of College Station, TX. He is a fourth generation farmer, on land that has been in his been in his family since the 1800’s.
P. Wade is the Chief Executive of the Texas Small Farmers & Ranchers Community-Based Organization, was recently selected to serve East Texas in the newly formulated Delta Regional Food Business Center, and is currently in the final stages of becoming certified as a Natural Soil Biology Consultant through the Soil Food Web School.
In the past year, P. Wade has been featured in articles by CNN, The Dallas Morning News, Wall Street Journal, and The Austin Chronicle around the important subject of racial equity and social justice.
Price: $30
Software & Technology for Rangeland, Pastures and Farms
Join us for a presentation loaded with useful plant identification apps and websites, useful app tools for ranch management, online mapping tools such as Web Soil Survey and the Rangeland Analysis Platform, and ideas for how to leverage these tools when making land management decisions.
Followed by a presentation on how to choose and leverage technology on your farm. Identifying the different types of equipment that is available, how to assess what may work for your operation and strategies for using this equipment on your farm.
Sunday Aug 4th, 1pm-5pm, LBJ Student Center @ TX State University
INSTRUCTORS:
Since 2010, Dr. Megan Clayton has been an Extension Rangeland Specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management at Texas A&M University. Her responsibilities as a Rangeland Specialist have her based at the Uvalde Research and Extension Center and include providing support for Extension agents, specialists, clientele, and organizations through teaching, training, and providing technical expertise on management of rangeland resources. Megan’s current interests include blending wildlife habitat and livestock range management, small acreage management, UAV (drone) research, brush management, and youth natural resources education. Her main area of responsibility includes the Uvalde/Hill Country area.
Becky Hume has over a decade of comprehensive agricultural experience and proudly owns and operates VRDNT Farm, a tech-forward, diversified vegetable enterprise located in Bastrop, Texas. Becky's farming journey, sparked at just 16, was refined at Cornell University and has since spanned across unique agriculture sectors including managing a 200-acre organic farm, an aquaponic facility, and a regional microgreens operation. Becky's ceaseless passion for farming drives her to continually connect the threads of sustainable agriculture, community engagement, and cutting-edge farming technology.
Price: $30
Practical Strategies for Climate Resilience
This year's keynote speaker, Dr. Gary Nabhan, will give a special workshop in advance of the conference on unique and creative strategies producers can adopt to help offset shifts in climate that have become increasingly severe, particularly in drier portions of the US. Dr. Nabhan is the author of the book Growing Food in a Hotter Drier Land, and has done extensive research on a number of responses to climate change in agriculture, such as adapting orchards for climate resilience, production of heat-tolerant and high-value spice crops, and incorporation of agroforestry into agri-systems - for shade, wood, etc. This workshop is sure to stimulate “outside the box” thinking applicable to a diversity of farm settings!
Location: Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
Cost: $25
Sustainable Pest Management
Join us as we consider three vexing Texas pests: pigs, weeds & bugs! This multifaceted workshop will begin with an overview of common insect pests in our region and ideas for their management and biocontrol by Dr. Noel Troxclair of Uvalde County AgriLife Extension. Rangeland specialist, Dr. Megan Clayton, also of Texas A&M, will provide an overview of strategies for managing common plant/brush pests in Central Texas. Finally, Derrick Banks, CEP Extension Agent of the Agriculture and Natural Resources at Prairie View A&M University, will discuss problems posed by and control strategies for wild hogs in Texas.
4 TDA CEUs (continuing education units) for pest management and 4 CEUs for certified crop advisors (CCAs) are anticipated for this workshop.
Location: Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
Cost: $25
Getting Into Your Books: Intro to Farm Financial Management & Strategy
In this workshop, you’ll get a high-level introduction to managing your farm’s financial records.
Phil Ross of Texas Small Farmers and Ranchers CBO will discuss the essentials of financial wellness and strategies to grow your farm business without breaking the bank.
Dr. Pratheesh Omana Sudhakaran of Texas State University Agricultural Sciences Department will teach the basics of developing two critical farm financial statements – a balance sheet and an income/P&L statement.
Evan Driscoll of Kitchen Table Consultants will demonstrate how to analyze financial statements to meet your goals and provide a quick overview of QuickBooks Online.
As an introductory workshop, all are welcome and encouraged to attend – aspiring and beginning farmers, as well as producers who are ready to refine their existing bookkeeping systems.
We expect attendees to walk away understanding how different parts of the financial management system work together to help you make solid decisions for your farm business, and to know what next steps are needed.
Location: Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
Cost: $25
Profiting From Pastured Animals
This workshop is designed to give farmers the marketing and business skills they need to tap into the expanding market for locally raised, pastured meats, poultry, and eggs.
The workshop is designed to particularly benefit:
Beginning farmers — or any farmer who feels like they need help with the business, marketing, and regulatory aspects.
Existing farmers who are considering diversifying their operations.
Conventional livestock farmers who might be considering direct marketing alternatives for their businesses.
The main topics we’ll cover during each two-day event include:
Market analysis to determine which products on which to focus.
Financial considerations, including how to do a cost-benefit analysis.
Marketing techniques for selling direct-to-consumer.
Options for how to handle sales and distribution.
Regulatory issues related to sales of animal products.
Location: Mesquite Field Farm, Nixon, TX
Cost: $20