No Till Notes: 'Plan to attend 2014 No-till conference'

The Panhandle No-till Partnership is hosting a no till winter conference on Feb. 26 and 27, 2014. The conference will be at the Gering Civic Center beginning at 8 a.m. each day with registration and speakers starting at 8:45 a.m. This two day conference will feature some of the most knowledgeable and respected no-till crop production researchers and producers in our area. I always look forward to this conference where the topics and discussions are geared toward no till crop production in our area.

Registration for the conference by Feb. 18 is encouraged by submitting the registration brochure and fee. This fee helps the PNTP cover the expense of the speakers along with the two lunch time meals provided for everyone. Early registration is less expensive and really helps the PNTP with meal counts for each day so please register early if possible.

I feel we really have a good lineup of speakers as well as vendors for this year’s conference. Dr. Gary Peterson will lead off the conference with a presentation providing insightful perspective on the history of agricultural development in our region. Dr. Peterson was my soil science instructor at the University of Nebraska. Dr. Peterson moved on to Colorado State University where he distinguished himself as an outstanding researcher and educator of soil science and agronomy.

Gail Fuller, a producer from Kansas will speak about cover crops he plants on his farm and his experiences with the Risk Management Agency concerning cover crops. The RMA has established guidelines for the use of cover crops which Gail will address.

Jessica Johnson, UNL Panhandle Research and Extension educator will have a presentation on the economics of no till crop production on irrigated acres. Dr. Ray Ward will follow with a presentation on soil microbiology and tests he is conducting at Ward Laboratories to determine soil microbial populations in your soil sample and the benefits they may provide.

Paul Jasa, UNL mechanical engineer and manager of the Roger’s Memorial Research Farm, will talk about equipment and a systems approach to no till crop production. Jonathon Lundgren will speak about insects and their role in crop production focusing on the good as well as the harmful insects.

Dietrich Kastens will again do a presentation at our conference. Dietrich has been well received by growers in our area as his farm in northwest Kansas has many of the same challenges as we do. Dietrich will talk about the latest technologies in agriculture and how he incorporates them onto his farm.

Don Day, local meteorologist from just across the border in Wyoming will end the conference with a discussion of the weather. We all like to talk about the weather and I’m sure Don will give us a good lesson on attempting to predict our very unpredictable weather.

The PNTP has really worked hard to put on another outstanding no-till winter conference for producers in our area. I hope to see you at this year’s winter conference where I’m sure we will pick up a few pointers on production that will help us on our farms and ranches. For more information or to download the registration form, please visit http://www.panhandlenotill.org.