News Update

Industry Events
April 27, 2007

Heart of Texas Cow-Calf Clinic
May 3, Brown County Fairgrounds, Texas

The Texas Cooperative Extension will host its annual Heart of Texas Cow-Calf Clinic, beginning at 5 p.m. at the Brown County Fairgrounds on U.S. Highway 377 South. Topics include vaccination for central Texas cows, stocking rates after a rain, grass leases and cattle market outlooks.

The clinic is sponsored by the Extension offices in Brown, Callahan, Coleman, Comanche, Eastland, McCulloch, Mills and San Saba counties.

Individual registration is $5 and due by May 1. For more information or to register, contact the Extension office in Brown County at 325-646-0386.

Multi-Species Grazing Conference, Field Day
May 8-9, Richland, Wash.

Washington State University (WSU) Extension will host a multi-species grazing conference scheduled May 8 at WSU Tri-Cities, Richland, and a related field day at the Barker Ranch near Richland on May 9.

Nationally recognized goat and cattle grazers will discuss management and marketing of meat goats; grazing and browsing principles; fencing, water and mineral needs; use of guard dogs; contract vegetation management; fee grazing; range monitoring; and creating wildlife habitat.

The conference will take place in Room 216 of the Consolidated Information Center Building. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the conference begins at 9 a.m. and adjourns at 5 p.m.

The field day will be at the Barker Ranch located at 8305 N. Snively Rd., W. Richland. The field day will include demonstrations of how to build and troubleshoot an electric fence; internal parasite diagnosis; and range monitoring technique and browsing planning.

You can preregister or register at the conference site for one or both events. Fees vary. Visit www.ansci.wsu.edu/ and click on the link for the Multi-Species Grazing Conference and Field Day under the events heading.

Contact Don Nelson, WSU department of animal sciences, at 509- 335-2922 or nelsond@wsu.edu for more information.

2007 Farm Bill Forum
May 15, Washington, D.C.

The Farm Foundation invites your participation in the 2007 Farm Bill Forum, which will convene in the Franklin Room of the Four Points by Sheraton. The topic will be organic food issues in the farm bill, with opening remarks by Caren Wilcox of the Organic Trade Association and Mark Lipson of the Organic Farming Research Foundation.

Please RSVP by noon, Friday, May 11, to Mary Thompson, Farm Foundation director of communications, at mary@farmfoundation.org.

Wheat Field Day
May 15, Princeton, Ky.

The University of Kentucky Wheat Field Day will take place at the Research and Education Center in Princeton. Wheat plots damaged by recent weather are still in place at the UK research farm, which allows participants to see some of the damage as well as allow researchers to collect data.

Wheat variety trials conducted annually by the university, application timing of Osprey herbicide and nitrogen fertilizer will be discussed. Other topics include insecticide seed applied treatment study, screening for scab resistance in breeding material, nitrogen fertilization of wheat using polymer coated urea, final results of on-farm no tillage trials and an update on automated steering technology.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the program will conclude at noon, with lunch provided by the Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association. Certified crop advisors can receive one and a half hours of continuing education credits in both pest management and crop management. For more information, contact Dottie Call at 270-365-7541, ext. 234, or dcall@uky.edu.

Kentucky Angus Ass’n Field Day
May 19

The Kentucky Angus Association has set its annual field day for May 19. The Central Kentucky Angus Association (CKAA) is hosting the event that includes a tour this year.

The day begins with tour buses leaving the CKAA Pavilion in Danville at 9:30 a.m. Tour stops include a joint stop at Cliffside Farms and C&H Cattle Co., both at Lancaster; lunch stop at Akers Farm, Lancaster; Branch View Angus, Hustonville; and Tarter Gate, Dunnville.

Once the tour returns to CKAA, John Crouch, American Angus Association executive vice president, will provide information about the Association and its programs. The day will conclude with a steak dinner.

The Kentucky Angus Association appreciates its premium sponsors of the event, Tarter Gate, Homeland Equipment and Ag Credit, for helping offset the cost of this event. For more information about the Kentucky Angus Association, visit www.kentuckyangus.org.

Community field day, ag barbecue
July 11, Dickinson, N.D.

The 31st Annual Dickinson Research Extension Center (DREC) Community Field Day will be July 11 at the DREC grounds in Dickinson. Area farmers and ranchers will be given the opportunity to tour the center and witness its research projects. A gardening horticulture tour is also scheduled.

The Dickinson Area Chamber of Commerce Ag Committee will host a barbecue, including barbecued beef and trimmings, at the conclusion of the tour. Farmers, ranchers, urban and rural customers and business people are invited to attend. Participants are asked to register by June 13. For more information contact the DREC at 701-225-5115 or visit www.dickinsonchamber.org.

2007 Farm Progress Show
Aug. 28-30, Decatur, Ill.

Farmers can enter their original inventions and win cash prizes in the Inventors Challenge sponsored by Farm Progress Companies and Roundup® herbicides, developed by Monsanto. The contest’s top three winners will receive $5,250 in cash prizes, and the top 10 winning inventions will be displayed at the 2007 Farm Progress Show. Show hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday.

Entries must be original creations and should be a concept that should easily be incorporated into any farming operation. The entry deadline is June 1. Full entry information is available at www.farmprogressshow.com.

2007 Worldwide Food Expo
Oct. 24-27, Chicago, Ill.

Registration is now open for Worldwide Food 2007, a biennial global food and beverage technology event, which brings processing packaging, equipment, ingredients and services to McCormick Place in Chicago.

Sponsored by the American Meat Institute and the International Dairy Foods Association, the expo attracts 25,000 attendees and features more than 1,000 exhibitors. A comprehensive educational program will include a series of operations sessions as well as sessions about economy, consumer behavior and market trends.

Visit www.worldwidefood.com to register or for updated agendas, hotel and housing information, and an interactive guide.

— compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.