The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. with check-in and the picking up of program materials. The workshop will adjourn at 5 p.m.
Two continuing education units will be offered to Texas Department of Agriculture private pesticide license holders, one in the general category and one in integrated pest management.
Registration is limted to 50 people and available online only. Go to agriliferegister.tamu.edu and enter “hay” as the keyword.
Though the workshop is largely about the finer points of producing better quality hay, there will also be guidelines given on purchasing hay, as producers will likely be having to buy hay to supplement stocks for some time to come, Corriher said.
“We’ll also have information on how bale size and density affect transportation and feeding costs and give a rough idea of what they should be paying for shipping,” she said.
Having better-quality hay means producers could drastically cut or even eliminate supplemental feed costs, she noted.
Presentation topics before and after a catered lunch and refreshment breaks will include:
• “Forage species differences: yield potential, cutting time, bale making characteristics, and forage quality,”Corriher.
• ”Using the U.S. Department of Agriculture soil survey data to select hay storage site locations,” by Dr. Jason Banta, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist.
• “Establishment of annual forages: Management and fertilization of annual and perennial forages,” Corriher.
• “Understanding forage quality and hay testing factors affecting forage quality,” Banta.
• “Weed control,” Corriher.
• “Bale size and density: pricing and cost per unit of nutrient considerations,” Banta.
• “Storage and feeding,” Banta.
For more information, contact Michele Sensing at (903) 834-6191 or amsensing@ag.tamu.edu.
Driving directions to the Overton center be found at overton.tamu.edu/info-maps-history/. FG
—AgriLife Today; agrilife.org/today
PHOTO
Rusk County farmers harvest hay while the sun shines. The Texas AgriLife Extension Service will offer a full day of training on hay production and purchasing April 27 at Overton. Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Robert Burns.
