By Julie Tomascik
Associate Editor
The Texas Sheep and Goat Predator Management Board (S&GPMB) will hold its election for new directors and to raise the assessment on July 29.
Three new directors will be elected to fill terms that expire in December 2016.
An increase to the assessment that funds the board and allows for cost sharing of predator control measures has been proposed.
“Predators are a big problem for sheep and goat producers and this is a collective effort among farmers to control the predator populations that can devastate a flock overnight,” said Collin Klattenhoff, chairman of Texas Farm Bureau’s Sheep and Goat Advisory Committee.
The assessment has been set at $.30 per head for more than 10 years. But in order to maintain the program, additional funding is needed due to increased costs to use effective equipment.
If the referendum for a $.90 refundable assessment passes, ranchers could reach out for assistance more often.
The funds are used to help eradicate predators, as well as for research and education.
An individual is qualified to vote if he or she is in the business of producing, or has caused to be produced, domestic and/or exotic sheep and/or goats for commercial purposes within the referendum area, according to Penny Price with the S&GPMB.
Eligible voters must vote in the district they reside in even if they have operations in multiple districts.
Voting will be conducted by mail-in ballots, which will be available at county Extension offices in each of the 111 counties in the current referendum area, the Texas Sheep & Goat Raisers annual meeting or the at the S&GPMB office.
Price said ballots must be post-marked prior to midnight July 29.
Counties included in the referendum area for the purpose of the election of directors to fill the three positions where terms will expire are:
District 1: Brewster, Culberson, Crane, Crockett, Ector, Glasscock, Hudspeth, Irion, Jeff Davis, Loving, Midland, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Reeves, Sterling, Sutton, Terrell, Upton, Val Verde, Ward and Winkler.
District 2: Bandera, Edwards, Kerr, Kinney, Kimble, Mason, Medina, Menard, Real, Schleicher, Tom Green, Uvalde and Zavala.
District 3: Andrews, Archer, Bailey, Baylor, Bell, Blanco, Borden, Bosque, Brown, Burnet, Callahan, Castro, Childress, Clay, Cochran, Coke, Coleman, Comal, Comanche, Concho, Coryell, Cottle, Crosby, Dawson, Dickens, Eastland, Erath, Fisher, Floyd, Gaines, Garza, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Hale, Hamilton, Haskell, Hays, Hockley, Hood, Howard, Jack, Jones, Kendall, Kent, King, Knox, Lamb, Lampasas, Llano, Lubbock, Lynn, Martin, McCulloch, McLennan, Milam, Mills, Mitchell, Motley, Nolan, Palo Pinto, Parker, Parmer, Runnels, San Saba, Scurry, Shackelford, Somervell, Stephens, Stonewall, Taylor, Terry, Throckmorton, Travis, Williamson, Yoakum and Young.