AUSTIN, Texas —-(Ammoland.com)- The Texas Bison Association (TBA) announces an exciting and unprecedented line-up of informative field tours and seminars for its upcoming 2012 Texas Bison Conference.
The two-day event will be held on May 4, 2012, and May 5, 2012, at the Holiday Inn Park Plaza in Lubbock, Texas, and welcomes producers and bison enthusiasts from across the country.
“The Texas Bison Conference is the largest bison event in the state, and the tours and seminars this year are among the best you’ll find anywhere in the nation on raising and conserving bison,” says Dan Humphries, president for the Texas Bison Association. “The bison industry is booming in Texas and we’re proud to make these educational opportunities available to our members and conference attendees.”
The TBA Conference field tours on Friday, May 4th, include:
- Caprock Canyon State Park Tour & the Official Texas State Bison Herd: See, feel and experience the remnants of the Southern Herd, saved from extinction by Charles and Mary Anne Goodnight. Now in a conservation model, they are truly a historical treasure and natural resource.
- Addington Buffalo Company Tour: Share the vision of a family ranch operation dedicated to bison production, taken out of CRP and into NRCS developed native panhandle prairie. Sustainable bison production and dedication to the species and industry is the land-use strategy.
The TBA Conference seminars on Saturday, May 5th, include:
- Conserving the Southern Herd: A look into the dynamics and challenges of conserving the Southern Herd in their native home. A shared and deepened understanding of conservation will be the focus and goal. Speakers: James Derr, Texas A&M, and Donald Beard, Caprock Canyon State Park.
- Bison Nutrition Basics & Drought Plan Realities: A descriptive presentation on the nutritional needs of bison for health, production and how those needs may be impacted by drought. Speaker: Bud Patterson, Patterson Nutrition.
- Bison in Wildscape Management: A plugged-in look at how bison fit into wildlife models as a native grazer and invasive grass management tool and why. Speaker: Shawn Vickers, KIVA Consulting.
- Drought Impact to Forage Planning & Management: A review of Texas forage realities after the historic drought of 2011 in a statewide and regionally view. Speaker: Matt Kraus, Grasslands Specialist, USDA-NRCS
The 2012 TBA Bison Conference will also feature exhibitors from the bison and agriculture industries, and discussion among some of the industry’s top bison experts. The event also includes a fun ‘Buffalo Banquet’ that provides attendees with a bison steak dinner as well as live and silent fund-raising auctions that include buffalo art, jewelry, ranch equipment, furniture and much more.
The Texas Bison Association is a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 by bison owners and individuals concerned with the preservation and promotion of the American bison. Today, the TBA provides assistance in raising and producing bison and promotes the nutritional health aspects of bison to consumers. For membership, sponsorship or additional information about TBA or the Texas Bison Conference, call 512.778.9092 or visit www.TexasBison.org.
Headquartered near Austin, Texas, the Texas Bison Association is a non-profit organization of producers, ranchers and bison enthusiasts. For more information on Texas bison, bison ranching or membership in the Texas Bison Association, call 512.778.9092 or visit www.TexasBison.org.
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