Industry Events

Industry Events
Jan. 19, 2006

Small Farm College
January-March, Ohio

Ohio State University (OSU) Extension is offering a nine-week short course on starting and managing a small farm, including business planning, production options and marketing of products.

Featured topics will include goal-setting, resource inventory, business planning, identifying sources for financial assistance, natural resource management, legal issues, recordkeeping, crop and animal production options, and marketing alternatives.

The course will be offered one night per week, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at three separate locations. Courses will be offered Jan. 16-March 13 at the Ross County Extension office in Chillicothe; Jan. 18-March 15 at the Der Dutchman restaurant in Waynesville; and Jan. 19-March 16 at Morgan Local High School in McConnelsville. A field day highlighting successful small farms is scheduled for March 11.

The course costs $150 per person and $50 for each additional family member. The fee includes a Small Farm College notebook of coursework materials.

For more information or a registration form, contact the Clinton County Extension office at (937) 382-0901.

K-State Ag Profitability Conference
January-March, Kansas

Kansas State University (K-State) will host a series of meetings covering numerous topics that affect a farmer’s or rancher’s bottom line.

Topics to be covered include the benefits of no-till, driving forces and options for the 2007 Farm Bill, crop insurance, rising fuel costs, agricultural trends, economies of size, fertilizer economics, grain marketing and market outlook, machinery costs, employee management, and more.

Detailed conference information, including date, location, contact information and specific topics, can be found at www.agmanager.info/events or at a K-State Research and Extension office.

R-CALF USA Annual Convention
Jan. 19-21, Denver, Colo.

Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) will host its 7th Annual Convention, themed “Guardians of the Next Generation,” beginning today at the Doubletree Hotel in Denver.

Participants will take part in two and a half days of informative speakers, industry experts, policy making, a trade show, evening entertainment and an awards banquet. The convention will open with officer and committee reports, followed by a country-of-origin labeling (sometimes referred to as COOL or COL) panel. Discussions throughout the convention will include upcoming and recently passed free trade agreements (FTAs), animal identification (ID), and ongoing concerns and new findings regarding bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Regional caucuses are also scheduled.

If you cannot make it to the convention, contact R-CALF’s national office at (406) 252-2516 to make sure your resolution is heard on the floor. Look for your ballot in the mail following the convention.

For a detailed schedule, more information and convention coverage, visit www.r-calfusa.com/Events/2006_convention.htm.

MU calving clinic
Jan. 21, Linneus, MO

The University of Missouri (MU) will host a calving clinic from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday at the Forage Systems Research Center in Linneus.

Topics will include handling calving problems, brood cow nutrition and getting cows rebred.

For more information contact Tamie at the Forage Systems Research Center at (660) 895-5121 or carrta@missouri.edu, or Jan at the Sullivan County Extension office at (660) 265-4541 or swearengenj@missouri.edu.

MU beef breeding program
Jan. 23, Chillicothe, Mo.

MU will host the program, “New Opportunities for Beef Producers to Use AI,” at the Farm Credit Services office in Chillicothe.

Beef reproduction specialists will describe recent MU research, with discussions to target improved genetics and timed artificial insemination (AI), estrus synchronization for cows and for heifers, the Quality Systems Assessment (QSA) program, and the Show-Me Select heifer program. Economics of land values will also be discussed.

The meeting will begin with a meal at 5:30 p.m., and a $5 fee will be charged at the door. Call (816) 324-3147 or (660) 646-0811 to register.

Kentucky Beef Conference
Jan. 24, Lexington

The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture will host the conference from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Fayette County Cooperative Extension office in Lexington.

The event is geared toward helping producers plan for future markets. Speakers include Randy Blach, executive vice president of Cattle-Fax, and Harlan Hughes, professor emeritus at North Dakota State University. In addition, participants will also hear about animal ID, value added marketing programs and more.

Registration is $10 and can be paid the morning of the conference. For more information or to preregister, contact a county Extension office by Jan. 20.

MU Show-Me Select meeting
Jan. 24, Cameron, Mo.

Northwest Missouri beef producers interested in the Show-Me Select Replacement Heifer program can learn more at an informational meeting beginning at 7 p.m. at the community building in Cameron.

MU organizers will discuss the program and determine interest levels for a potential sale. Dave Patterson, MU Extension beef reproduction specialist, will be the featured speaker, and heifer producers enrolled in the program will be present at the meeting to explain the requirements and benefits.

Missouri producers can enroll heifers from their herds in a year-round management program to produce calving ease heifers with improved genetics. The program is open to both purebred and commercial herds. Heifers are examined before the breeding season to determine reproductive tract scores (RTSs), and pelvic measurements are made to determine if the heifer can easily give birth to a calf. They are bred to bulls with excellent calving ease expected progeny differences (EPDs).

Contact the following MU extension livestock specialists for more information or to enroll in the program: Jim Humphrey, (816) 324-3147; Amie Schleicher, Rock Port, Mo., (660) 744-6231; Chris Zumbrunnen, Milan, Mo., (660) 265-4541; and Shawn Deering, Albany, Mo., (660) 726-5610.

The Cameron meeting is free and open to the public. No advance registration is required.

Cattle feeding, marketing short course
Jan. 24, Feb. 7, Bowling Green, Ohio

The 2006 Great Lakes Professional Cattle Feeding and Marketing Short Course will be at the Wood County Junior Fair Building in Bowling Green, Ohio.

OSU Extension, in collaboration with Michigan State University (MSU), Purdue University and the Ontario Department of Agriculture, is offering the cattle feeding and marketing short course to help enhance the cattle industry in the Eastern Corn Belt. Coursework is designed to provide information on current feeding, management and marketing practices to improve profitability. Topics to be discussed include distillers’ grain, feedlot air quality, feeding out heifers, national animal ID, alliances and market projections.

Registration is $30, with $20 for each individual family/farm member. FFA and 4-H students can register for $10. To register, send a check made payable to Michigan State University to Steven Rust, Department of Animal Science, MSU, 2265B Anthony Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824-1225.

For more information contact OSU Extension beef specialists Steve Boyles at (614) 292-7669 or boyles.4@osu.edu, or Dan Frobose at (419) 354-6916 or frobose.1@osu.edu.

2006 Intermountain Nutrition Conference
Jan. 24-25, Salt Lake City, Utah

The eighth annual Intermountain Nutrition Conference will take place at the Red Lion Hotel, at 161 W. 600 S., Salt Lake City. The conference will provide current information on nutrition and nutrition-related management issues pertaining to the dairy and beef industries.

Topics to be addressed include selenium (Se) nutrition, understanding cow behavior, variations in silage quality, fat and fatty acid digestion in ruminants, and feed management.

The conference is approved for eight American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists (ARPAS) credits. Registration is $120. The registration is $50 for on-site student registration. Registration for farmers and ranchers is set at $50.

Contact the Red Lion Hotel at (801) 521-7373 to make reservations.

For more information visit www.usu.edu/trdhiman/IMNC/Imnc.htm or contact Karma Wood at (435) 797-2145 or karmaw@ext.usu.edu.

Heart of America Grazing Conference
Jan. 25-26, Cave City, Ky.

The Heart of America Grazing conference, which moves annually from state to state, targets producers in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Missouri. This year’s conference will take place at the Cave City Convention Center.

Conference topics include extended grazing to lower animal feed costs, the potential for year-round grazing, hay and silage quality, and information on improved grazing strategies for livestock.

The conference begins at 6 p.m. Jan. 25 and continues throughout the following day. Registration, which includes dinner, lunch and proceedings, is $15 per person for one day and $25 for both days. Preregistration is encouraged.

For more information or to register, visit www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage or contact Garry Lacefield at (270) 365-7541, Ext. 202.

Saskatchewan Beef Symposium
Feb. 8-9, Saskatoon, Sask., Canada

The symposium is intended to help producers increase production efficiency, explore alternative markets, improve land stewardship and produce better beef at lower costs. The event will highlight ethanol production, grazing and wintering options, improving carcass quality, niche marketing, and discussion of the Kyoto accord and its effects on participants.

Registrations received prior to Feb. 1 will cost $90 (Canadian), and $110 thereafter. Student registrations are $60 each, and additional banquet tickets cost $30. The fee includes all sessions, two lunches, a banquet and refreshment breaks.

The event will begin with registration at 9 a.m., Wednesday, and will take place at the Travelodge Hotel (Circle Drive West) in Saskatoon. For additional accommodation information, call 1-888-278-4209 or visit www.travelodgesaskatoon.com.

For more information contact Murray Feist at (306) 694-3492 or mfeist@agr.gov.sk.ca, or John McKinnon at (306) 966-4137 or John.McKinnon@usask.ca.

Association Plans Outreach Seminars

In a continued effort to communicate with its members at the local level, the American Angus Association will conduct a series of Outreach Seminars for the third year.

Outreach Seminars currently scheduled include:

• Friday, Jan. 20, 10:30 a.m., Fort Worth, Texas. The seminar is in conjunction with the Fort Worth Stock Show and will take place from 10:30 a.m. to noon in Cattle Barn #1 Dorm.

• Friday, Jan. 27, 11 a.m., Red Bluff, Calif. The seminar will take place during the Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale in the Don Smith Pavilion.

• Thursday, Feb. 9, Madison, Wis. The seminar will begin at 2 p.m. at the Rodeway Inn South, 4916 E. Broadway (formerly the Quality Inn South).

• Saturday, March 11, Indianapolis, Ind. The seminar will take place in conjunction with the Indiana Angus Information Futurity at the Farm Bureau Building. Seminar times are to be announced at a later date.

• Thursday, March 23, Clemmons, N.C. The seminar will begin at 4 p.m. at the Village Inn Golf & Conference Center.

Association staff and directors will be on hand to discuss current Association programs, including the AngusSource^SM marketing program and genetic selection tools. They will also discuss the future of the beef industry and the role the Association and its members will play in the future of the beef business.

“These seminars were designed so our staff can visit with the membership in their own backyard. In addition to informing the membership about current Association programs, we also want to know what ideas are on our members’ minds,” says Jim Shirley, Association vice president of industry relations and director of commercial programs.

Visit www.angus.org for additional information about future seminars as they become available. For more information contact Shelia Stannard, Association event coordinator, at (816) 383-5100.