Mark your calendars for the 17th Annual Cover Your Acres Winter Conference! It will be held on Jan. 14 and 15, at the Gateway in Oberlin.
A research based educational conference for producers and industry. It’s a conference for new ideas and updates in crop production practices relevant to the Central Plains. There are over 10 locally relevant, research backed sessions. This is a producer driven conference program resulting from a partnership of K-State Research and Extension and the Northwest Kansas Crop Residue Alliance.
Presentations and speakers:
• Alternative Crops-What We Know, Don’t Know, and Should Be Thinking About by Lucas Haag, Northwest Extension regional agronomist.
• Beyond Grain: The Value of Wheat in the Production Chain by Aaron Harries, vice president of research and operations - Kansas wheat.
• Cover Crops as a Weed Management Tool by K-State agronomy graduate students.
• Current Financial Status of Northwest Kansas Farms by Jordan Steele, Northwest Farm Management Association economist and field man.
• Insect Management in Dryland Corn by Sarah Zukoff, Southwest Extension entomologist.
• Planter Technology Advancements by Ajay Sharda, K-State Research and Extension ag engineer.
• Soil Testing- Interpretations Matter by Dorivar Ruiz-Diaz, Extension soil fertility specialist.
• The War on Weeds by Jeanne Falk Jones, Multi-County Extension agronomist.
• What Drives Efficiency and Profitability in Irrigated Corn? Lessons Learned From the TAPS Grower Competition by Daran Rudnik, UNL Irrigation Management specialist.
• Why Does a Food Company Care About Soil? An intro to General Mills’ Ag Commitment by Steve Rosenzweig, soil scientist General Mills.
And the always popular producer panel will discuss various alternative crop options in the region. Potentially included in the discussion will be winter canola, dry edible beans, field peas, barley, and triticale.
There will be equipment displays, vendor booths and company representatives to visit with.
Early Bird Registration deadline is Jan. 8; $50 for Tuesday, $45 for Wednesday, $65 for both days; after the deadline $65. On Tuesday immediately following the conference there is a social hour with refreshments and hors d’oeuvres.
Certified crop advisor and commercial applicator CEU’s have been applied for.
Great Bend-based Cottonwood Extension agent Alicia Straub and I always attend, if you would like to ride along give us a call.
Register online, view full schedule and meet the speakers to find out what they plan to discuss at www.northwest.ksu.edu/coveryouracres.
Stacy Campbell is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent for Cottonwood Extension District. Email him at scampbel@ksu.edu or call the Hays office, 785-628-9430.
