Friday, January 23, 2009 - Sustainability Conference
At K-State Student Union in Manhattan, KS
For more info, or to register, see the Conference website.

Friday-Saturday, February 6-7 - Annual Conference and Meeting of the Arkansas Farmer's Market Association
Cosmopolitan Hotel in downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas
Workshops, Local Foods Banquet & more
$20 Registration (before Jan. 16, $30 after)
   Click the icon for the Conference Flyer

Monday, February 9 - Grazing Management Telecall
Beginning at 7:30 PM
For more info, see below.

Thursday-Saturday, February 12-14
- Women Managing the Farm Conference
Grand Prairie Convention Center, Hutchinson KS
For more info, see below.

Saturday, February 21 - Missouri Organic Association 2009 Annual Conference
Lincoln University's Carver Farm
Jefferson City, MO
For more info, see below.

Thursday, March 5 - Wind Energy Career/Internship Fair
Cloud County Community College, Concordia KS
For more info, contact:
Bruce Graham
Wind Energy Instructor
Cloud County Community College
2221 Campus Drive
Concordia, KS 66901-1002
1-800-729-5101 ext. 256
bgraham@cloud.edu

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Grazing Management Teleconference Conversations

Join other grazers from across the state of Kansas in a telephone conversation with Kansas State University’s Gary Kilgore and Keith Harmoney at 7:30 pm on the second Monday of the month. Hosted by the Kansas Rural Center, these informal discussions will cover all aspects of grazing management.

Who should participate?
Farmers, ranchers and educators. Anyone who is interested in grazing!

What’s the benefit to me?
This is an opportunity to learn how you can use complementary forages to extend your grazing season, gain management tips and explore ideas to improve profitability while you responsibly manage your natural resources.

How do I participate in the call?
Our conference call will be hosted by Copper Conferencing.

Anyone can join in the call by simply dialing in 1-888-387-8686. You will then be prompted to dial in a Conference Room Number. Please dial in 4699043 and follow it with the # sign. This will be a toll free call. You are welcome to leave or join the call at anytime between 7:30 and 9 pm.

For more information or to receive an email reminder of the call, please contact the Kansas Rural Center at 785-873-3431 or send an email to Connie Pantle, KRC’s Information & Education Coordinator at cpantle@rainbowtel.net

Support for this networking opportunity comes from a partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

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Kansas Grazier's Association Annual Winter Conference

The Kansas Graziers’ Association (KGA) Annual Winter Grazing Conference will be held Saturday, January 17, 2009 in Assaria, Kansas from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The keynote speaker for the day will be Terry Gompert, Nebraska Extension Specialist.  In addition to being a long-time grazing educator, Gompert manages his own herd in northeast Nebraska. Gompert is an advocate of extending the grazing season, as well as reducing input costs within a herd. Currently, Gompert is helping coordinate a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant to analyze input costs and overall profits for three types of beef production: organic grain-fed, organic grass-fed and grass-fed beef.

Two panel discussions featuring producers and facilitated by KRC’s Dale Kirkham and grazer Dale Strickler are also scheduled.

The conference will be held at the Assaria Lutheran Church, 124 West First Street. Lunch will be served.  Assaria is located ~10 miles south of Salina just east of I-135 at the K-4 exit.

AGENDA

• 8:30 a.m. - Registration

• 9:00 a.m. - The Functional Cow, with questions and discussion

• 10:15 a.m. - Break

• 10:30 - Extending the Grazing Season – additional forages
  Making the Cow Do More of the Work followed by questions and discussion

• 12:00 - LUNCH

• 1:00 p.m. - Ideas that Make Money for Livestock Producers, followed by questions and discussion

• 2:15 p.m. - Break

• 2:30 p.m. - Ideas Terry Has Learned From Producers, followed by questions and discussion

• 4:00 p.m. - Closing Comments – A Look Into The Future, Terry looks into his crystal ball and shares his insight as to what livestock producers may see coming our way!
   

Registration is $25 per person, and will start at 8:30 a.m. Registration deadline is January 12.

To register, or for more info, contact:
Mary Howell at 785-292-4955 or marshallcofair@networksplus.net

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Ag Conference Slated for Women on February 12-14, 2009

The 2009 Women Managing the Farm Conference has been scheduled for February 12-14, 2009, at the Grand Prairie Hotel and Convention Center in Hutchinson, Kansas.

Themed "The Changing Face of Agriculture," the conference provides opportunities for women who are involved in agriculture to come together and network with other women who have similar interests and challenges.  The 2009 conference is the fourth one held.. The 2008 conference attracted more than 300 women who shared an interest in agriculture and agribusiness representing seven states and ranged in age from their early twenties to their late sixties and beyond.

This year's conference will focus on five areas, including legal, financial, production, price and human risk. The event will feature four keynote speakers:

• Glen Muske, professor and interim associate dean, and assistant director of family and consumer sciences cooperative extension from Oklahoma State University. As the opening keynote speaker, he will explore the topic of networking. His presentation will be followed by small group discussions.

• Sarah Fogleman, a former K-State Research and Extension southeast Kansas agricultural economist and now a full-time writer, will speak on family relations and the farm.

• Charlotte Shoup Olsen, a K-State Research and Extension family systems specialist, will share tips for effective personal and professional communications.

• Juli Burney, a humorist with an agriculture background from Nebraska, will offer a lighter entertaining perspective: "Cleverly Cultivating Change."

In addition to the primary speakers, 25 breakout sessions and a tradeshow will be offered.

The cost to attend the conference is $90, and includes all sessions, conference materials, two lunches, and one breakfast.

For registration and more information,
go to www.togpartners.com/wmf  or call 1-866-FARMKSU (327-6578).
A few scholarships may be available for Farm Credit customers or Kansas Farm Bureau members.

The Grand Prairie Hotel and Convention Center has a limited number of rooms at a discounted conference rate. For reservations and more  information, contact the hotel at the toll-free number 1-800-362-5018.

Conference sponsors include:
K-State School of Family Studies and Human Services, K-State Research and Extension, Frontier Farm Credit, Farm Credit of Central Kansas, Farm Credit of Ness City, Farm Credit of Western Kansas, Farm Credit of Southwest Kansas, High Plains Farm Credit, Kansas Agricultural Mediation Services, Kansas Agri-Women, and the Kansas Association of Family and Community Education. Also sponsoring the conference are the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, Kansas Beef Council, Kansas Cooperative Council, Kansas Corn Growers Association, Kansas Farm Bureau, Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association, Kansas Soybean Association, Kansas Rural Center, Kansas Rural Family Helpline, Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Department of Commerce, American Farmers and Ranchers, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and USDA Risk Management Agency.

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Missouri Organic Association 2009 Conference
"Organic Opportunities for Rookies and Veterans"
Saturday, February 21, 2009 , Lincoln University's Carver Farm, Jefferson City, MO

SCHEDULE:

Track: Experienced and Veteran Farmers (50 minutes each)

8:30 am - Room A

Organic Dairying, Scott Poock, DVM, PhD, MU State Veterinary Medicine Extension Specialist

9:30 am

• Room A -
  Raw Milk & Raw Cheese Marketing Regulations, Rachel Bax, Missouri Milk Board

• Room C -
  Organic corn and soybeans, Joel Gruver, PhD, Western Illinois University

10:30 am - Break

10:45 am - Room A
Improving Soil Fertility, Joel Gruver, PhD, Western Illinois University

Track: Prospective and Beginning Farmers Track (25 minutes each)

All in Room B

8:30 am - Programs for Prospective and Beginning Farmers, Lane McConnell, Marketing Specialist, MO Department of Agriculture

9:00 am - Grow Your Farm, Dean Wilson, MU Extension, Jefferson County

9:30 am - Small Farmers' Outreach Program, K. B. Paul, PhD, Lincoln University

10:00 am - Growing Growers and Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture (KCCUA), Katherine Kelly, Executive Director

10:30 am - Break and Networking Time

10:45 am - EarthDance Organic Farming Apprenticeship Program, Molly Rockamann, EarthDance, Ferguson, MO

11:15 am - Organic Certification, Sue Baird

Joint Sessions

11:45 am - MOA Business Meeting

12:15 pm - Lunch

1:15 pm - Marketing Opportunities (7 minutes each)

1. Grains and feed ingredients - Nancy Birch, All Star Trading, Perry, MO

2. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Childcare, Randy Wood, Missouri Farmers Union

3. Coops, Walt Gregory, Midwest Organic Farmers Coop, Dow, IL

4. Farmers' markets, Lane McConnell, Marketing Specialist, MDA

5. Whole Foods, Krista Durlas, St. Louis

6. Whole Foods, Kansas City

7. St. Louis University, Michael Milster, Manager, Fresh Gatherings Café

2:15 pm - Break and Networking Time

2:45 pm - Room A - Vegetable Grafting, Sanjun Gu, PhD, Lincoln University, State Horticulture Specialist

2:45 pm - Room B - Improving Compacted and Waterlogged Soils, Bob Kremer, PhD, USDA Agricultural Research Services

3:45 pm - Adjourn

Registration

$20/person with $10 extra for lunch
$30/couple with $20 extra for lunch
$15 for student/scholarship includes lunch

Trade Show

$50 per booth which includes an 8 foot table and two chairs.
Electricity available upon request prior to the conference.

MOA members receive a 20% discount on a booth.

Registration will be available online soon at
http://www.missouriorganic.org/

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