Ag Notes
Ranch school The 14th annual School for Successful Ranching will be held in conjunction with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raiser's Annual Convention and Trade Show.

For both novice and seasoned ranchers, the school is set March 14-15 at American Bank Center, Corpus Christi.

Sessions will be presented on animal management, to include Cattle Nutrition and Grazing Management; Strategies for Optimizing Reproductive Performance in South Texas Beef Cattle Herds; Teach Your Cattle to be Handled Easily; and Herd Health, More than a Vaccine.

Business sessions include Strategic Planning for Ranches in Dynamic Times; Tools for Risk Management; Using the Balanced Scorecard to Measure Success in Ranching; and Cow-Calf Enterprise Analysis.

Range sessions include Rangeland Weed and Brush Control -- What, Where and When?; Rangeland Herbicides 101; Between Drought and Flood -- How Can I Make the Right Decisions; What We're Learning About Grazing; and Who's Got the Beef? In Terms of Herbicide Recommendations.

Other presentations include High-Tech Land Management, Watch Your Land on the Web; Market Matters and Other Matters that Matter in the Cattle Business; and Perspectives of Successful Stewardship.

Registration deadline is March 1. Preregistration is encouraged as space is limited.

Cost is $100 to attend both days for non-members of TSCRA, while members pay $60.

Registration fee covers both days of presentations and lunch. Registrants will be admitted at no charge to the TSCRA Annual Trade Show following Friday and Saturday programs.

Pesticide applicators license CEUs will be offered during the herbicide sessions, and two BQA credits will be offered per session during the animal management tracks.

Register online at www.texascattleraisers.org or phone (817) 332-5446 for information.

Conference

The fifth International Marketing Conference and 48th annual Membership Meeting of the U.S. Grains Council is Feb. 9-13 at the Hyatt Regency in San Antonio.

Events include a golf tournament; silent auction; planning meetings for trade policy and biotechnology; caucuses for agribusiness, barley, corn and sorghum; and an introduction to the grains council, specifically geared toward first-time attenders.

For information, visit www.grains.org or phone (202) 789-0789.

Trade show

The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association's 33rd annual Trade Show and Convention is March 14-17 at American Bank Center Convention Center in Corpus Christi.

Admission is $5 for March 14 and 15. Tickets are available onsite.

For more information, contact Lionel Chambers, trade show manager, at lchambers@texascatt- leraisers.org or phone (800) 242-7820.

Pesticide exams

Texas Department of Agriculture offers pesticide applicator license exams in Austin the first Tuesday of each month from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Stephen F. Austin Building at 17th and Congress. Report to the 11th-floor reception area.

Tests may be taken other days by making an appointment.

Always phone (512) 463-7622 in advance to confirm date and availability.