Graziers in Nashville

Nov. 2003 -- Nashville, Tenn., will be abuzz with grazing management technologies, strategies and policy ideas Dec. 7-10, 2003, when an estimated 2,000 participants gather in Music City USA for the Second National Conference on Grazing Lands.

Sponsored by the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI), the conference will increase awareness of the economic and environmental benefits of private grazing lands among producers, land owners and the public.

The schedule of events is comprised of nearly 100 presentations on grazing management topics that will be given by ranchers, farmers, academia and agency personnel.

?The strength of this conference is that is offers a cross-section of grazing topics and presenters from across the country,? says John Peterson, program and conference manager. ?Many share practical experiences from their own operations.?

Presentations fall into four categories: (1) the building of partnerships between agricultural, grazing and urban communities; (2) successful cutting-edge management technologies for grazing practices; (3) economic and public policy implications of grazing; and (4) optimizing grazing-land health for social and environmental benefits.

Trade show exhibitors and technical poster presentations also are part of the four-day conference.

Key political figures who have been invited to speak include Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT), a member of the Appropriations Committee and a longtime supporter of agriculture and GLCI, and Rep. William Jenkins (R-TN). Invited to participate in a panel discussion are Bruce Knight, Natural Resources Conservation Service chief; Dale Bosworth, U.S. Forest Service chief; Kathleen Clarke, Bureau of Land Management director; Colien Hefferan, Cooperative States Research Education and Extension Service administrator; and Ed Knipling, Agricultural Research Service acting director.

For registration information visit the GLCI Web site at www.glci.org and click on ?Grazing Conference? or contact John Peterson at (703) 455-4387.

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