January 7, 2000

The one-two punches of drought and low grain prices have sent many Blackland farmers reeling. Consequently, this year’s Blackland Income Growth Conference will largely focus on ways farmers can manage risk and survive until commodity prices recover.

"This doesn’t mean it’s going to be a gloom and doom conference. All we will be doing is covering the topics that are on every farmer’s mind," said Vince Neuhaus, Blackland farmer, agricultural businessman and current B.I.G. president.

Sponsored by the Texas Cooperative Extension, the Blackland Income Growth Conference each year draws between 500 and 700 agricultural producers who come for the latest information from state and national experts. Held at the Waco Convention Center Jan. 17-19, topics range from new technologies to risk management. This year, the emphasis should be on risk management, Neuhaus said.

Managing risk doesn’t mean crawling into a hole and avoiding new agricultural technology, Neuhaus explained. Though expanding farming operations or continuing to farm marginal land are poor strategies during a low commodity price cycle, some new technologies bear looking at.

For example, concurrent sessions on beef, grain and horticultural production are set for Tuesday morning, Jan. 18. Beef session topic titles include "The Future of the Industry," "Increasing Product Demand Through Product Development," "Applicators of Genetic Technology," and "How Do We Take What We Know and Make it Work?"

Scheduled grain session topics include "Expectations and Market Strategies for Grain Producers in the Blacklands," "Benefits/Costs of Ultra Narrow Row Corn and Transgenics," "Grain Storage: How To? Is it Worth it?" and "Insect Management."

The horticultural session will include "Pecan Tree Management," "Turf Grasses for the Blacklands," and "Vegetable Production Techniques."

On an upbeat note, the talk of the featured speaker, Dr. Lowell B. Catlett, New Mexico State University, is titled "21st Century Farming: How to be a Millionaire." According to Catlett, the opportunities for agricultural profits during the next century will be beyond measure. This "golden age" will be composed of cyber seeds, internet sales, "salaried stock dogs," and oxygen farms.

"It isn’t for the timid, but it’s a great time to be part of one of agriculture’s most exciting times," Catlett said.

The afternoon program includes concurrent sessions on cotton and forages, followed by 4-H horse judging and horse bowl in the evening at the Heart of Texas fairgrounds.

Cotton session topics will include "Implications of the Food Quality Protection Act," "Grower’s Perspective on Ultra Narrow Row Cotton," "Crop Destruction Guidelines: Conventional vs No-Till," and "Crop Insurance Changes."

The annual meeting of the Blacklands Cotton and Grain Association follows the cotton session.

The forage session topics include "Fertilizer Selection and Management," "Establishing Pastures for 12-Month Forage Production," "Laws and Regulations Affecting Movement of Farm Equipment and Hay on Texas Highways," and "Economics of Buying and Selling Hay."

In addition to the production agriculture sessions on Tuesday, the Texas Ag Forum will meet on Monday. This year’s topic will be "Agricultural Policy: Where Do We Go From Here?" The forum will be chaired by Dr. Ashley Lovell, Tarleton State University, and Mary Webb, executive director of the Texas Peanut Producers Board.

Speakers at the Forum include the following:

• U.S. Rep. Charles Stenholm, ranking minority member of the House Agriculture Committee.

• Texas Rep. David Swinford, chairman of the Texas House Agriculture and Livestock Committee.

• Martin Hubert, deputy commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture.

• Abner Womack, director, Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI), University of Missouri.

• Edward Smith, distinguished Roy B. Davis professor of Agricultural Cooperatives, Agricultural and Food Policy (AFPC), Texas A&M University.

On Wednesday, Jan. 19, a special program, "Farm Management for the New Millennium" will address technology use and data management. Topics include "Laws and Regulations," "The VantagePoint Network," "Texas Risk Management Education," and "Texas Department of Agri-culture’s Agriculture, Agribusi-ness and Rural Economic Development Programs." As in previous years, the B.I.G. Conference will be held in conjunction with the two-day Mid-Tex Farm and Ranch Show. Admission to the Mid-Tex show is free.

Registration will begin at the door at 8 a.m. each day. The cost, which covers the noon meal, is only $10 each day.

Each year, the B.I.G. Conference is the culmination of the work of some 200 volunteers, serving on more than nine Blackland county task forces and executive boards, noted Ron Woolley, Extension District 8 director.

The B.I.G. 34-county region includes Bastrop, Bell, Bosque, Burleson, Caldwell, Collin, Coryell, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Dewitt, Ellis, Falls, Fannin, Fayette, Gonzales, Grayson, Guadalupe, Hill, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Lamar, Lavaca, Lee, Limestone, McLennan, Milam, Navarro, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, Washington and Williamson counties.