The 2024 Forage Field Day co-hosted by South Dakota State University Extension, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, the Northern Plains Forage Association and I-29 Moo University is now an online event.
Forage Field Day brings together experts, producers, and industry professionals to provide panel discussions and presentations on forage-related topics. Originally scheduled to be held in Concord, Nebraska, event organizers moved to a virtual-only event to accommodate a wider audience.
The 2024 event is from 12:30 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, online via Zoom. Registration is required. To register, visit extension.sdstate.edu/events and search “forage”.
It is free to attend, thanks to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program grant and sponsorships from Renovo Seed and Farmers Implement and Irrigation.
This year’s event kicks off with a listening session for an alfalfa revenue insurance program with AgriLogic Consulting and the National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance. The session gives producers and industry members an opportunity to learn about the product and provide input.
For cattle owners, Wisconsin dairy farmer Daniel Olson will speak on growing and using digestible forages in dairy rotations, and Shelby Gruss, Iowa State University assistant professor and Extension Forage Specialist, will talk about optimizing forage availability with cover crop grazing.
Other sessions will feature AgSpire, a sustainable agriculture consulting agency; alfalfa diseases and pests; a workshop to make a safe silage harvest plan; and a presentation on summer annuals for forage and soil health.
Sara Bauder, SDSU Extension Forage Field Specialist, said the event’s goal is to provide experience evaluating forages and education on management practices that producers and industry professionals can use.
“We have a lot of high-quality private and commercial forage producers in this region,” Bauder said. “This is a unique event because it focuses on forages specifically.”
South Dakota is one of the top three forage-producing states in the nation, yielding more than 15,000 tons of alfalfa, silage and other hay in 2023. Nebraska ranks in the top 10, producing more than 10,000 tons in 2023. Bauder’s own forage research currently includes variety trials on forage sorghum, alfalfa and hay additives.
For more information on the event, contact Sara Bauder, SDSU Extension Forage Field Specialist, at Sara.Bauder@sdstate.edu; or Ben Beckman, UNL Extension Educator, at bbeckman3@unl.edu.
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