AGLC Annual Conference
Confirmed Speakers for the
2014 Arkansas Grazing Lands Conference
Bob Salmon, his wife Susan and two grown sons own and operate Salmon Ranch in northern St Clair County, Missouri. Out of necessity in 1987 Bob embarked on a journey to improve his grass management. Their goal is to be consistently profitable, with the main input being labor. "We have no money therefore we must THINK". After over 20 years of diligent observation and a willingness to change and adapt to various situations caused by weather, markets, etc. he has developed a management style that is flexible, sustainable, and most importantly, always PROFITABLE. His operation includes stockers, breeding heifer development, cow-calf, custom grazing and sheep. Bob also raises and trains Border Collies in his "spare time". As well as the income to raise four children, this operation has afforded Bob the opportunity to be active in his community. He has served on the local school board, church council, State and county cattlemen's association boards, Partners in Pasture grazing group, and various other boards. Bob will discuss a flexible approach to profitable grass management using every tool in the toolbox.
Greg Brann is the Tennessee Grazing Lands and Soil Health Specialist. He received his B. S. Degree in Plant Science from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He has 34 years of experience with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is a Certified Crop Advisor and received the Outstanding Young Men of America award. On his farm he has 350 acres of pasture for beef cows, stockers, goats, and hair sheep and grows tobacco and Christmas trees. Greg is a member of the American Sheep Industry Targeted Grazing Committee. Greg will discuss the various aspects of multi-species grazing.
Mark Brownlee grew up on a farm with milk cows, beef cows, hogs, chickens, row crops, and small grains where a lot of fertilizer was used, and a lot of hay was baled and consequently fed. The farming methods used required high amounts of labor, equipment, time, and capitol. When fertilizer reached $1000/ton and diesel fuel hit $4.00/gal. in 2007 and the last of his cheap help got out of school and got a job, Mark knew that he was going to have to make some serious changes in his operation. He converted all of his hay fields to pasture, stopped buying fertilizer, increased stock density and lengthened pasture recovery times, all of which led to increased profitability. Mark will be talking about soil building, increasing plant population and plant diversity and his experiences of grazing through the droughts of 2011 and 2012.
Walt Davis spent fifty something years as a working rancher with interests in west Texas and in Southeast Oklahoma. After almost going broke following the advice of high tech agriculture experts, he spent years developing a biological approach to ranching based on planned grazing management. Biodiversity exploded under the new management with beneficial organisms from dung beetles to earthworms increasing as pest organisms decreased. Expenses dropped as production increased so that the ranch was consistently profitable. For the last twenty years or so, he has worked with land owners, ranchers and both public and private organizations as a management consultant, advisor and teacher. He has spoken to a diverse collection of audiences on his passion for good land management. He is a past president of Holistic Management of Texas and of the Oklahoma Land Stewardship Association and is vitally interested in promoting land use that is profitable, sustainable and user friendly.
Yates Adcock’s goal is to strive to serve God where planted. He and his wife Nancy, a veterinarian, have been married for 25 years and have a son and daughter. Yates has a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Oklahoma State University and an MBA from Oklahoma City University. The entire family is involved in production agriculture and they all value and appreciate this opportunity. According to Yates, "Not everybody gets to do this", I am blessed!!!”. He is a 5th generation rancher who manages Middle Creek Ranch and owns Adcock Ranch. Yates strongly believes there is a" better way" to exercise sustainable stewardship of our God given resources. He is the past president of Hughes County Oklahoma Conservation District and the president of Canadian Valley Electric COOP. Yates will discuss how he is trying to work with nature, extend the rest period of his forages, utilize stock pile forages later into the year and rely more on animal husbandry skills, while constantly evaluating through a filter of common sense.
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