Mark your calendar!
For the 30th Annual
NPSAS Winter Conference
February 13-14, 2009
Huron Event Center
Huron, S.D.

Speakers:
Our keynote speaker will be Karl Kupers, farmer and co-founder of Shepherd's Grain. He will speak on "Marketing Sustainability". Julie Garreau will speak on "Sheyenne River Youth Project".

Schedule of Events:
Click Here to download a complete schedule of events in .pdf format.

Registration:
Full Conference Registration is $145 per farm/family/business or $125 per single. Meals extra. One Day registrations also accepted.
SAVE $20 on Full Conference, HURRY, register by January 16th!
Register Now--Pay with PayPal (electronic Credit Card or eCheck payment).
or
Click Here to download and print out a mail-in registration form in .pdf format.

Accommodations:
A block of rooms have been reserved for $68 plus tax. Contact the Crossroads Hotel & Event Center in Huron, S.D. at 1-800-876-5858 or 605-352-3204 to get your room reserved early.

Cosponsors Accepted:
A great opportunity to sponsor this event, in a brochure with cosponsor ads reaching over 1500 businesses and households! Click Here to download more information in .pdf format. Click Here to download a cosponsor "Reply Form" in .pdf format. for additional information or questions.

Thank You to Those
Who Attended
2008 Livestock Handling Seminar

NPSAS organized a Low Stress Livestock Handling Seminar which was presented by Dr. Tom Noffsinger, Benkelman, Neb. on August 11 at the Farmers Union Building in Jamestown, N.D. Close to 100 stockmen and educators from Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota attended the event. We were pleased to see 6 young cattle handlers under the age of 14 there as well.

The feedback we received tells us Dr. Tom gave an excellent presentation, is a great speaker with good information for people with and without livestock experience. Many can not wait to put the information to practical use. Dr. Noffsinger, a veterinarian and an independent feedlot, facility design and stockmanship consultant, studied under handling specialist Bud Williams.

Some topics discussed:

• Understanding prey animal instincts
• The use of position, distance, angles and speed to communicate with cattle
• Teaching cattle to respond in a positive manner
• Enhancing the maternal bond
• Acclimation of newly arrived cattle to reduce the stress of address changes
• Expecting cattle to express their true state of health
• Pulling single cattle
• Removing cattle from pens or pastures
• Early disease detection and prudent antibiotic use
• Processing techniques and facility design
• Appreciation on normal behavior and modulation of anxiety
• Relationship of horsemanship and stockmanship

Frank Kutka, Dakota SARE Coordinator, reminds agriculture eductors who implement knowledge into education programs will be able to apply for SARE travel scholarships by emailing

Thanks to all that attended the seminar

A few photos from this conference (slide show):