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Next Ranch Symposium geared toward "Living the Legacy"Transitioning ranch ownership, management will be presented Oct. 30 and 31 Texas What happens when it is time to pass the family ranch onto my children? When I take over the ranch, will I be as good a manager as Dad? These questions and many others will be answered during the Fifth Annual HOLT CAT Symposium on Excellence in Ranch Management. This year's symposium, Living the Legacy: Transitioning Ranch Ownership and Management to the Next Generation, will be held Oct. 30 and 31, at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The annual symposium is hosted each year by the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management, part of the university's Dick and Mary Lewis Kleberg College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences. This year's topic stresses the importance of a smooth transition and consistent operation between generations. Early registration is $150 through Oct. 17, and $200 thereafter. "There is no topic more important to rural America than this one," said Dr. Fred Bryant, director of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at A&M-Kingsville. "Major issues such as maintaining open space as wildlife habitat and view sheds, enhancing functional watersheds and preserving our ranching and hunting heritage are at stake. We must make sure this generational transition happens on a landscape scale, or we lose something precious and dear to all of us, city dweller and rural citizen alike." This year, the keynote speaker is R.L. "Dick" Wittman of Wittman Consulting in Culdesac, Idaho. He manages an 18,000-acre family farm partnership in Idaho that involves crops, cattle and timber. He also provides consulting services and seminars in family farm business and financial management. Wittman received a degree in agricultural economics from University of Idaho and an MBA from University of Utah. He worked for the Farm Credit System and concluded his banking career with the Farm Credit Administration in Washington D.C. where he supervised Farm Credit operations in several Eastern, Midwest and Southern United States districts. He has worked with numerous farm clients and professional practitioners, conducted seminars, facilitated strategic planning, taught college classes and developed videotape training modules on a variety of topics throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. He specializes in financial management and developing management systems and solutions for business relationship/transition problems. His guidebook, Building Effective Farm Management Systems, is a toolkit for commercial-size family farm businesses to define their ultimate vision and put in place a professional management and transition process that will lead them to that goal. Entertainment for the Oct. 30 dinner will be provided by Red Steagall, who is best known for his Texas swing dance music. In his 35-year career in entertainment, Steagall has spanned the globe from Australia to the Middle East, to South America and to the Far East. He has performed for heads of state including a special party for President Ronald Reagan at the White House in 1983. Other speakers include Dr. Wayne A. Hayenga, Professor Emeritus from Texas A&M University, extension economist and attorney; Dr. Don J. Jonovic, Family Business Management Services; and Dr. Danny Klinefelter, professor with Texas A&M and extension economist. A pre-symposium training on livestock handling will be held Oct. 29 to 30, also at Texas A&M-Kingsville. "The workshop couldn't be held at a better time than now, with the current media attention on animal handling in packing plants and auction barns," said Dr. Barry Dunn, executive director of the King Ranch Institute. "We actually chose this topic prior to the recent national publicity,because we believe that all beef producers should raise and treat animals as humanely as possible in order to maintain high levels of consumer confidence in the healthfulness of beef. There will be something for everyone to learn at this workshop." The pre-symposium, Stockmanship and Stewardship: Forgotten Skills of Cattle Handling--And More, is being conducted in collaboration with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Cattlemen's Foundation, Texas Beef Council and King Ranch Inc. The speakers are Curt Pate, effective stockmanship and instructor livestock handling expert; Ron Gill, Texas A&M livestock specialist; and Todd McCartney, cattleman, cowboy and RFD-TV host. The cost for the pre-symposium is $50. Participants may register for both events at krirm.tamuk.edu and may get more information by calling 361-593-5401 or e-mailing krirm@tamuk.edu. 6/30/08 Date: 6/26/08
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