Blinn Classes A Bargain for Ranchers

Many of you know that I teach continuing education classes at Blinn College in Schulenburg. I enjoy teaching and meeting many good folks who want to learn. I strongly believe that to teach is to touch a life forever. For the spring semester at Blinn I am trying a few new classes and all of them have benefits for ranchers.

Once again, I will teach my Vegetable Gardening class. I teach gardening to help people eat real nutritious food. This is the most popular class of all the classes I have taught over the years. Do you know that most ranchers don’t grow the food they eat? And since nutritious food is related to good health, there is a little health information included.

For a more focused look at health, I will teach “Natural Cures for Your Health.” This science-based class focuses on natural medicine to prevent and treat many common diseases such as arthritis, cancer, dementia, heart disease, stroke and more. I teach this because there are too many sick people in this world, and many are farmers and ranchers. As a naturopathic practitioner, I have seen many people with these diseases improve their health, and I will cover some of these natural remedies.

Please note this disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor. You should always seek professional advice from a competent medical practitioner. This class is for informational and educational purposes only and is not designed to replace advice from your doctor.

Ranchers will benefit from the “Ranching Organically” class. I think of it as the organic version of the Landowner’s Guide to Ranching. It’s a class for the old-time rancher, those just getting into the business of ranching (either full time or part time) or the FFA student. It’s got learning for everyone. I will sum up a lot of the articles I have written on ranching and many more methods I will write about in the future. It will also feature much of the ranching lecture I have been invited to give to the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association meeting in SanAntonio in January.

The final course this spring semester will be “Rural Living with Wildlife.” If you live in the country, I know you will enjoy this course, especially if you have a Wildlife Exemption. It is a combination of classes I have taught in the past with new information and a few new twists. If you are homesteading or just want to know how to attract a lot of deer or grow bigger bucks without feeding corn or cubes, this class will be for you. You will also learn how to keep your home organically free from many critters like scorpions, roaches, mice and rats. You’ll learn how to grow native pasture without chemical intervention and create habitat for turkey and quail. And a whole lot more.

I taught continuing education classes at Comal and New Braunfels Independent School Districts for years before moving to Fayette County. If I said that a class was worth X amount, they usually charged that much for the class. A lot of consultants would charge $1000 for the “Ranching Organically” class. If I offered the class independently, I would charge more than $300 a person. That’s about the cost of three bales of hay at today’s prices. And the information offered could save the rancher ten times that amount.

But here is the good news, Blinn College is in the business of educating the public. They focus more on education than charging a lot of money, which makes these classes a real bargain.

The class “Natural Cures for your Health” could save you a whole lot more than the money it costs. It could improve your life. That is priceless.

So, Blinn College charges a whole lot less than I would. I know a lot of people don’t put much value on things that don’t cost a lot of money. But as B.B. King once said, “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” To that, I’ll add, no matter what it cost. These Blinn classes are a real value!

You can sign up by calling Blinn College at (979) 743-5237. There is a discount for taking all four classes. The sooner you sign up the more likely you will get a seat at the table. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

David E. Will is a rancher, nurseryman, landscape contractor, nutritional practitioner, consultant and a resident of Fayette County. He can be reached at (830) 629-9876 or by email at dwill207@satx. rr.com.