The National Grazing Lands Coalition has announced some speakers for its eighth National Grazing Lands Conference (8NGLC) at the Embassy Suites Kingston Resorts in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Dec. 6-9, 2021. Opening the conference on Dec. 7 will be Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pennsylvania ) (invited), ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, to discuss the latest issues facing the agriculture industry. He will be followed by Meredith Ellis of G Bar C Ranch, Rosston, Texas. She believes ranching plays an important part in the climate solution and in ranching’s ability to provide nutritious food to a growing population while leaving habitat and natural ecosystems intact.
On Dec. 8, the day will begin with a panel discussion on mental health in agriculture. Three agricultural producers will explain how to recognize the signs of distress in ourselves, the ones we care about and how to get help. The three panelists are Ryan Sexton, rancher from Nenzel, Nebraska; Jessica Peters, dairy farmer from Meadville, Pennsylvania; and Terri Hawbaker, dairy farmer from Pewamo, Michigan.
Conference participants can also register for a one-day training provided by Dr. Allen Williams, farmer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and founding partner of Grass Fed Insights LLC, Understanding Ag LLC and the Soil Health Academy. Williams will teach participants regenerative grazing protocols and forage finishing techniques to create “value add” and prepare landowners for multiple revenue stream opportunities that stack enterprises and acres.
Conference registration costs are $395 until Oct. 15, 2021. Registration fees, minus a 10% processing fee, can be refunded until Oct. 29, 2021.
The National Grazing Lands Coalition is also making two scholarships available for this year’s conference: the Lynn Myers and Hezekiah Gibson Memorial Scholarships. Each scholarship will provide $500 to cover the costs associated with attending the conference. The scholarships are supported by proceeds from the silent auction. If interested in donating items for the auction, email Kim Stine.
The National Grazing Lands Coalition was founded in 1991 to ensure high-quality technical assistance is available to private grazing land managers on a voluntary basis and to increase the awareness of the importance of grazing land resources. The work is carried out through coalitions of individuals and organizations functioning at the local, state, regional and national levels. Coalitions include livestock producer organizations, scientific and professional grazing resource organizations, conservation and environmental groups, state and federal natural resource agencies, and other agricultural interests.
More information can be found at the National Grazing Lands Coalition website.
—From a National Grazing Lands Coalition news release
