While you may think New Year’s Day passing means a period of quiet in agriculture, it really signals the start of meeting season for farmers and ranchers. Private industry, producer groups, and public organizations spend this time of year educating and informing the agriculture industry on a variety of topics. K-State Research and Extension is especially active in providing knowledge on topics ranging from weed control to risk management. To that end, it may be useful to list just a few of the events coming up over the next several months.
· 10th Annual Cover Your Acres – This event takes place January 15 and 16 in Oberlin at the Gateway Conference Center. The program is the same for both days and features a variety of university and industry presentations on a wide variety of topics. Attendance is normally over 500 and draws out of state participants. For more information call 785-462-6281 or call your county extension office.
· Ag Profitability Conference – Feb. 5 in McPherson at Best Western Holiday Manor; Feb. 7 at the Pratt County Fairgrounds; Feb. 12 at the 4-H building, Kenwood Park, Salina. These events cover a broad range of topics from updating crop insurance to land rental rates. For more information, contact the extension office for each location or go to the KSRE website.
· Great Bend Farm & Ranch Expo – April 10 – 12 at the Expo Grounds. After a successful first year, this event is back and promises to be bigger than last years. Currently they are soliciting exhibitors and more information may be found at www.starexpos.net or by calling 866-685-0989.
Finally, while not an event exactly; the spring semester starts at Barton Community College on January 14. One class being offered in the agriculture program on Monday nights is Horse Science. This class is taught by Verle Carlson, D.V.M. and will provide a great overview for the beginning or experienced horse owner concerning basic care and husbandry for horse owners whether for work or pleasure.