Gene Gade, Blaine Horn, Frank Henderson, Mike Smith, Eric Peterson, Glen Whipple (Friday)

DAY 1

Reviewed progress with regard to the Drought Program. Talked about output and planned the next steps. Discussed several additional strategies and potential topics:

Long Term Stocking for Drought so as to position oneself to take advantage of abundant forage years (i.e., not have to destock drastically in severe drought); Partial Budgeting/Ranch Budgeting; Various stocking scenario's ala the Cattle Fax profit spreadsheets under different management schemes; risk as part of Ranching (Biological and Financial). Talked about "Working With Your Forage Landlord" as a topic, conversation on listing of things which should be included in a lease contract.

Discussed strategy with regard to approaching initiative work, functioning as a committee, and obtaining "buy-in" from all. Talked about how to evaluate successes and also challenges. Also talked about how the team should interact with individuals on the team or functioning in concert with team objectives. Sub units of the team should be "licensed" or "sanctioned" to go forward with team blessing. The initiative team needs to operate in both reactive and proactive modes. Reactive in the sense of our drought work, proactive in the sense of our upcoming projects.

Talked about the granting efforts that had been undertaken and the emphases of the granting bodies. Discusses the issue of hiring a grant administrator to assist in tailoring a grant request specific to a grant body.

Talked about the drought prognostication project and how it might be organized around the state. Agent collaboration important. Generally working on refining the Saratoga model. Mike S. has a grant proposal out to support the project. Grant or no grant, important to begin collection of peak forage production data around the state to check correlation with precipitation.

Talked about Initiative project names (acronyms) which we could market and rally around (mimicking the WIRE strategy). Examples: "Thinking About Range" (TAR), Great Range and Sustainability Science (GRASS), SMoRR, RANGE, etc. Keep thinking about this one, everyone.

DAY 2

Brainstorming on what undertakings that this team will pursue as we begin to see the end of the Drought project and shift resources to new projects. Settled on the concept of a "Range Basics" type of course which would result in a compendium of factsheets and lessons on Rangelands. Not dissimilar to the "Cow-Calf Management Guide", the "Beef Basics Courses", or the Golden rod colored "Land and Range Manual". Would contain works on both Range Fundamentals and the Concepts built on the fundamentals.

Talked about audiences - Kids, Newcomers, Traditional and Trophy producers, schools, small landowners, Land Managers, General Public, industrialists, and tax conversion landowners new to range ranching.

Talked about a range correspondence course. Mike S. will look into numbers of students enrolled in Range 2000 by correspondence.

Director Whipple arrives. We review our progress and he recaps the activities and thrusts of other initiative teams. Glen responds to questions regarding the Strategic Planning process and the change we are undergoing. Also talked about current extension issues.

Back on task... More talk about our audiences.

Discussed the notion of organizing a "Range College" - which would be a series of meetings around the state containing a number of talks on range basics and issues. They've done something similar in Colorado. Blaine will acquire the program and circulate for further thinking of the committee. Generally well supported by the members present.

More discussion on the "Range Basics" thrust. Defined an objective: "To provide an understanding of rangelands and their management through self study and provision of reference and open opportunities for more self-directed in-depth exploration including field work, labs, and field trips."

If it is to be a series of lesson, the initial step is probably to work on a Table of Contents. Mike, Blaine, Frank, and Eric will begin this step. Suggestion that a review of Range Texts might be instructive.

Frank is thinking about the wisdom of taking Prof. Development leave to implement Range Basics and ease the transition from being Converse's Agent to becoming an area agent.

Dates for our next meeting were selected. Eric will inquire as to the collective preference of the team between April 25-26 or the week before, in Douglas.

((NOTE: the week before is scheduled as In-Depth training in Laramie - an unforseen complication))