TLA Bill Edwards Ranch Tour

Bill Edwards Ranch Tour-Pottawatomie County, Kansas is our final of three summer ranch tours!

Join Tallgrass Legacy Alliance on November 12, 2020 at 11:00 AM!

You can find the Edwards Ranch near Olsburg in Pottawatomie County. Bill Edwards will be our host.

Bill has implemented numerous grassland management practices for many years. Some are quite unique and interesting. 

• Multi-paddock rotation grazing for over 30 years resulting in improved range condition plus increased stocking rate for both stockers and cow/calf grazing. If you’re interested in seeing a successful rotation grazing operation, come hear what Bill has to say.
• Using August burns for sericea lespedeza and old world bluestem (OWB) control in fields currently enrolled in CRP. Bill burned patches of OWB when they were still small in 2017 and it looked to me like the August burn killed most of the OWB and set back the sericea. Very little OWB remained that I could see. Many folks are now finding OWB their rangeland and if left unchecked it could turn into a real problem. Bill may have discovered a way to slow it down.
• Bill did a recent August burn for control of heavy dogwood infestation that appears hugely successful. He’ll tell you the details.
• Bill uses a portable solar pump and tank water system for livestock water. Now this deal is pretty neat and I think you would be interested in seeing how he uses it. Simple yet effective.
• Extensive high tensile electric fencing system across the ranch.

We will gather between 11:00 and noon at 15425 Wyandot Road Thursday, November 12. 

General directions are:

From the west side of Olsburg go about 3.8 miles west on Hwy 16 to Wyandot Road then winding your way south on Wyandot Road about 1.3 miles to the first driveway on your left. We will gather near the garage/shed.

A light lunch will be provided at noon. Bill will then give the Lunch & Learn presentation on the history of the ranch and background on his operation. Bring your lawn chairs as we will likely gather on the lawn and spread out. If the weather is bad we have the option of moving inside but we’ll be outside if at all possible.

After lunch, we will load on hay trailers or, for those who choose, car pool to various locations on the ranch. Since we are still in COVID protocols, I will have face masks and hand sanitizer available plus we will practice “social distancing” as appropriate.

In order to help with the lunch count, if you have not already, please RSVP to me via phone call, email or text to the phone number or email address below. Thank you!

Roger Wells

TEXT YOUR RSVP: 620-340-5808

EMAIL YOUR RSVP: rnwells@fairpoint.net