C.E.S. to host in-person livestock and forage production meetings
The Cooperative Extension Service’s livestock and forage production meetings will take place in-person in winter and spring 2022. Kevin Lawson, director of extension’s Ozark District, said county agents and producers are excited to gather face to face again.
“[These meetings] will be open to all producers who want to come and learn about what happened this past year and what we’ve got coming up new,” Lawson said. “We have some hot topics right now. One of them, of course, is fertilizer prices. A lot of these meetings are going to cover fertility issues with forages, like alternatives to putting out fertilizer, including chicken litter.”
Lawson said the meetings will encourage producers to be aware of “things that don’t work” and avoid salespeople who take advantage of high fertilizer prices to sell misleading products. He added that “a lot of our beef producers are looking at ways to get more bang for their buck,” so the meetings will also cover how producers can add value to their livestock.
“The meetings are mainly on the western side of the state, and our agents set this up every year to help producers learn more and get more value for their product,” Lawson said. “That’s what we’re here for.”
Lawson said producers are excited to hear about the “economics side” of the industry from Dr. James Mitchell, extension livestock economist and assistant professor for the University of Arkansas System Division Of Agriculture. He said producers are also interested in learning more about small ruminates, which includes sheep, goats and specialty animals such as llamas.
All meeting venues will have space for social distancing, and attendees will be asked to wear masks. Winter production meetings begin in January. Dates and locations for individual meetings may be subject to change due to weather, COVID or other factors. For specific production meeting details, contact your county extension office. JANUARY
Jan. 26 – Forage Fertility Meeting – Ozark
Jan. 27 – 300 Days of Grazing Meeting – Sevier County
Jan. 31 – Clark and Hot Spring County Forage Clinic – Clark County Fairgrounds FEBRUARY
Feb. TBD – Van Buren, White, Cleburne, Stone & Searcy County Forage Production Meeting – Heber Springs
Feb. 8, 10, 15 & 17 – Forage Short Course – Polk County Extension Education Building
Feb. 12 – Tri-county Forage Conference (Conway, Perry, Faulkner) - TBD
Feb. 15 – Pulaski, Lonoke and Prairie Forage Meeting – Lonoke County Extension Office
Feb. 15 – River Valley Beef Conference – Morrilton Fairgrounds
Feb. – Carroll County Livestock and Forage Production Meeting – Carroll County Cattleman’s Building
Feb. 22 – Yell County Ag Producers Meeting – TBD
Feb. 24 – Boone County Livestock and Forage Production Meeting – Boone County Farm Bureau MARCH
March 1 – Tri-county Forage Meeting (Franklin, Logan, Johnson) – Paris
March 2 – Twin Lakes
Beef and Forage Conference (Marion and Baxter County) – Cotter High School
March 4 – Crawford County Beef and Forage Meeting – Crawford County Extension Office
March 8 – Grant County Beef and Forage Workshop – TBD
March 10 – Faulkner County Beef and Forage College – TBD
March 15 – Sebastian County Beef and Forage Meeting – TBD
March 17 – Madison and Benton County Forage Meeting – Huntsville
March 18 – Beef Meeting – Ozark
APRIL
April 7 – Cleburne, Faulkner and White Small Ruminant Workshop - TBD
Find the meetings list https:// bit. ly/ 2022- ARKWinter-meetings, and on the Division of Agriculture events calendar.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @Ar_extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, vis
it the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow on Twitter at @Arkagresearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AGInark.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Ag
riculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/equal Opportunity Employer.