Howdy!!!

Wow!! We made it, Lake Region Extension Roundup has come and gone.  The first day was without a doubt the biggest crowd ever and the second day was not slouch either.  When you run short of food you know you have had a great attendance.  Don’t worry this will not happen next year.  The guest speakers were well received with many, many positive comments.  People seemed more fired up with the Bakken oil presentation than marketing but certainly liked them both.  All sessions were very well attended and in some cases standing room only.  The most important part of the two day event was all of the sponsors.  We greatly appreciated and appreciate all that you do to make this a great day for producers, to come to town for an educational extravaganza.  Sponsored coffee breaks, door prizes and lunch generosity were outstanding.  One session I had that became very informal due to a lost flash drive was Growing Degree Days.  We visited a lot about heat units and how corn was affected and also included  other crops to include alfalfa.  The discussion led to portable units that producers could buy and place in a strategic location on their own farm.  This could be used in conjunction with other producers purchasing these units and also the NDawn stations.  If you are interested in purchasing a portable station please give me a call and we will get it checked out.

The Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Farmers Association 33rd Annual Zero Till Conference is soon coming, February 1-3, 2011Keystone Centre, Brandon, MB.  This is a great conference for those pursuing no till or even minimum till.  Some of the topics included in the conference include: Tall stubble, direct-seeding and crop yield on the Canadian Prairie, Row crop response to strip till and fertilizer placement in ND, Zero Tillage and the Phosphorus Situation, Weeds in US that impact land under zero minimum tillage. Weeds in Canada that impact land under zero minimum tillage, Weed Resistance, The Value of Balanced Blends in Variable Rate Fertilizing, Handling Stripper Header Stubble, Getting done seeding in wet conditions.

Calendar

            Feb 9                           Canola Days, Langdon

            Feb 23                         Ramsey County Crop Improvement Annual meeting, KC Hall

                                                Leon Osborne, Meridian Technology, guest speaker,

                                                Commodity elections, Soybean, Pea, and Canola

            Mar. 8                          Pesticide training, Hampden, 6 P.M.

            April 5                          Pesticide training, Devils Lake, 6 P.M.