By STACY CAMPBELL
Cottonwood Extension District
Grain marketing is no easy task, the more information one has can be useful in making those difficult marketing decisions. One mission of any land grant university such as K-State is to provide unbiased research based information.
K-State grain market economist Dan O’Brien will discuss the current market overview and price prospects of corn, sorghum, wheat and soybeans; and the 2020 marketing strategies and opportunities – from USDA January 10th and forward. Then local elevator merchandisers will have a panel presentation and discussion on basis trends and local market factors. As always there will be time for questions and answers from the audience during the program.
Two of these programs will be offered by the Cottonwood Extension District in Hays and Great Bend on Jan. 7. In Hays at the Agricultural Research Center, 1232 240th Ave. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. the program will run from 12:15 to 2:45 p.m. A complimentary noon meal will be provided by sponsors.
Following in Great Bend at American Ag Credit, 5634 10th Street. Registration at 5:30 p.m. (complimentary supper) program starts at 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
RSVP is requested for meal count by Friday, Jan. 3, for either location at 785-628-9430 or email Stacy Campbell [email protected]
Cover Your Acres Winter Conference
Mark your calendars for the 17th Annual Cover Your Acres Winter Conference! It will be held on January 14 and 15th at the Gateway in Oberlin.
A research based educational conference for producers and industry. It's a conference for new ideas and updates in crop production practices relevant to the Central Plains. This is a producer driven conference program resulting from a partnership of K-State Research and Extension and the Northwest Kansas Crop Residue Alliance.
A sampling of some of the speakers and what they plan to discuss are:
Alternative Crops-What We Know, Don’t Know, and Should Be Thinking About by Lucas Haag, NW Extension regional agronomist.
Cover Crops as a Weed Mgt. Tool by K-State agronomy graduate students.
Insect Mgt. in Dryland Corn by Sarah Zukoff, SW Extension entomologist.
Planter Technology Advancements by Ajay Sharda, K-State Ag Engineer.
Soil Testing- Interpretations Matter by Dorivar Ruiz-Diaz, Extension soil fertility specialist.
The War on Weeds by Jeanne Falk Jones, Extension agronomist.
What Drives Efficiency and Profitability in Irrigated Corn? Lessons Learned From the TAPS Grower Competition by Daran Rudnik, UNL Irrigation Management specialist.
Why Does a Food Company Care About Soil? An intro to General Mills’ Ag Commitment by Steve Rosenzweig, soil scientist General Mills.
And the always popular producer panel will discuss various alternative crop options in the region. Potentially included in the discussion will be winter canola, dry edible beans, field peas, barley, and triticale.
There will be equipment displays, vendor booths to view and to visit with the company’s representatives.
For further information and the registration information will soon be available go to https://www.northwest.k-state.edu/events/cover-your-acres/
Stacy Campbell is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in the Cottonwood District. You can contact him by e-mail at [email protected] or calling 785-628-9430.