The Annual Congress was hosted by the Eastern Cape Province at the Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute in Middelburg. Situated in the foothills of the Renosterberg and surrounded by the characteristic bossies and koppies of the Karoo, Middelburg and Grootfontein have a long history in the field of agriculture. The Agricultural College was established in 1911 and so was celebrating its centenary during 2011. The Grassland Society was honoured to be included in the calendar of events of this special year!

List of Delegates

Scientific Programme

The Final Programme of Abstracts is now available to download.

The report from the workshop on Communal Rangelands and Policy - Aligning the Realities of Livestock Keepers with Government Priorities is now available to download.

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Sessions:

• Plant Invasions - Processes and Outcomes
  
• Using Planted Pastures for Rehabilitation and Restoration of Mined and Degraded Areas
  
• Rethinking Approaches to Communal Rangelands I

Workshops:

• Slangbos (Seriphium plumosum) Encroachment in Natural Grasslands
• Communal Rangelands and Policy – Aligning the Realities of Livestock Keepers with Government Priorities
  

Wednesday 13 July 2011

Sessions:

• Piospheres as Indicators of Rangeland Condition
• Applying Remote Sensing to Rangeland and Pasture Management
• Past and Future Trends in Vegetation Change
• Strategies for Animal Nutrition (cancelled as two presenters unable to attend, third presenter (Zandile Ndlovu) moved to Thursday 14 July 2011, Plant-Herbivore Interactions on Natural Rangelands I)
  

Special Plenary Session: Rangelands - Both Sides of the Coin

Mid-Congress Tours:

• Thornsprings Restoration Trial
• Bergkamp Long Term Trial
• History of Grootfontein

Thursday 14 July 2011

Sessions:

• Fire Effects in Rangelands
• Improving Pasture Production with Legumes and Minimum Till – Techniques and Economics
• Plant – Herbivore Interactions on Natural Rangelands I
  
• Plant - Herbivore Interactions on Natural Rangelands II
• Planted Pasture Production - Irrigation, Harvesting Stage and Dry Matter Yields
• Rethinking Approaches to Communal Rangelands II

Poster Sessions:

• Natural Resource Monitoring and Management Programmes
• Research Proposals

Special Plenary Session: Fracking in the South Africa: Implications for Rangelands

Friday 15 July 2011

Post-Congress Tours:

• Addo Elephant Park: Home to the Big Seven
• Extended Tour of the Long Term Trials at Grootfontein: The Oldest in Southern Africa