Quail/Wildlife Appreciation Day scheduled Sept. 21 on Matador Ranch

Quail/Wildlife Appreciation Day scheduled Sept. 21 on Matador Ranch

MATADOR RANCH – The Texas AgriLife Extension Service will join Matador Ranch to host a Quail/Wildlife Appreciation Day at the ranch Sept. 21.

The Matador Ranch is located one-quarter mile south of Matador on Texas Highway 70. The historic ranch covers 130,000 acres in Motley, Dickens, Floyd, Cottle and Crosby counties and has had an active wildlife management program in place for decades, recently earning the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Lone Star Land Steward Award for those practices.

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the program running from 9 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m., said Ryan Martin, AgriLife Extension agricultural and natural resources agent for Motley County. A noon luncheon will be sponsored by DuPont.

Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be offered, one general and two integrated pest management, for private pesticide applicators.

The morning session will be indoors. Topics and speakers will include:

– Mixing Livestock and Wildlife on the Matador Ranch, Bob Kilmer, Matador Ranch manager.

– Paradigm Shifts: Is the Wildlife “Tail” Wagging the Livestock “Dog,” Dale Rollins, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, San Angelo.

– Patch-Burn Grazing as a Tool to Enhance Habitat Diversity, Lloyd LaCoste, Texas AgriLife Research research assistant, San Angelo.

– Brush Sculpting: Tailoring Brush Management Goals to Address Wildlife Needs, Rollins.

The afternoon topics will be outdoors and include:

– Show Me the Money, Ken Mills, Hi-Pro Feeds nutritionist and member of Bobwhite and Buckskin Brigades.

– Rotational Grazing/Evaluating Wildlife Habitat and Brush Suppression, Kilmer.

– Reading the Range – Plant ID, Texas Parks and Wildlife personnel Kent Mills, Chip Ruthven and Dana Wright, plus Rollins.

The program is free, but those planning to attend the appreciation day are asked to RSVP by Sept. 17 to Martin at 806-347-2733 or rhmartin@ag.tamu.edu , or on the Matador Ranch’s Facebook page.

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