Area hay and forage producers are invited to attend the 32ndt Annual Eastern Iowa Hay Producers Association (EIHPA) Annual Meeting and Conference on Thursday, March 19, 2015 at Buzzy's in Welton. Registration will begin at 10:00 a.m. with the program scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.
This year's conference will focus on forage rotation and cover crops. Dr. Matt Liebman, ISU Professor of Agronomy, will speak on forages as part of a crop rotation. Liebman's research focuses on diversified cropping systems, weed ecology and management, and the use of native perennial species for soil and water conservation and biofuel production, including crop rotations, cover crops, green manures, intercrops, reconstructed prairies, conservation strips, animal manures, composts, and insects and rodents. Mark Carlton, ISU Extension Field Agronomist, will speak on utilizing cover crops as a forage. He will be followed by a panel of producers who are using cover crops as a forage source for their livestock operation. Following lunch and a brief annual meeting to elect officers and directors, will be regional updates from Virgil Schmitt, ISU Extension Field Agronomist, and Denise Schwab, ISU Extension Beef Specialist. Specific regional topics to be addressed include information on the newly released low lignin alfalfa and concerns about molds and mycotoxins in corn stover.
Registration for the conference is $30 and includes a membership to EIHPA and meal. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Certified crop advisor credits have been applied for. This conference is sponsored by EIHPA, Iowa State University Extension & Outreach, and the Iowa Beef Center.
The Eastern Iowa Hay Producers Association provides educational workshops and field days for forage producers in Jackson, Jones, Clinton, Cedar, Scott and Muscatine counties. However, forage producers from other counties are also welcome to participate. For more information contact Denise Schwab at dschwab@iastate.edu or Kevin Brown at brofarm@windstream.net or 563-872-4475.
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