Blackland Income Growth Conference Feb. 3-4 to Highlight Sugarcane Aphid, Cattle Marketing

Jan 07, 2015

By Blair Fannin

An overview of the sugarcane aphid in sorghum and cattle marketing considerations are only a couple of the topics to be featured at the 2015 Blackland Income Growth Conference Feb. 3-4 at the Extraco Events Center in Waco.

According to event coordinators, the conference will offer sessions on a variety of commodities – beef, grain, horticulture, cotton, forage, wildlife and more.

Dr. Doug Steele, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service director (far right), visits with attendees after his keynote speech at the 2014 Blackland Income Growth Conference. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Blair Fannin)

Dr. Doug Steele, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service director (far right), visits with attendees after his keynote speech at the 2014 Blackland Income Growth Conference.

“The Blackland Income Growth Conference has a long history of providing the latest research information and production management practices for farmers and ranchers throughout the region,” said Ronald Woolley, conference coordinator and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service regional program leader at Stephenville. “This year’s conference will feature several important topics of interest to Blackland producers. We have several experts who will be featured in each commodity session.

Overall, we think we have something for everyone, and producers will take home plenty of strategies they can incorporate into their operations.”

The annual conference is sponsored by AgriLife Extension and the Waco Chamber of Commerce.

Registration for the main Blackland Income Growth Conference on Feb. 3 is $20 per person and includes lunch. Several sessions will award continuing education units. Producers can download the brochure at http://bit.ly/17IGNEB to see specific continuing education credit allocations, sessions and speakers.

The keynote luncheon speaker Feb. 3 will be Dr. Rudy Tarpley, department head for agricultural and consumer science at Tarleton State University.

For additional information, contact the AgriLife Extension agent in your county or call 254-968-4144.

Source:agrilife.org

Video: Sweetener Effects on Gut Health - Dr. Kwangwook Kim

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kwangwook Kim, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, discusses the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in nursery pig diets. He explains how sucralose and neotame influence feed intake, gut health, metabolism, and the frequency of diarrhea compared to antibiotics. The conversation highlights mechanisms beyond palatability, including hormone signaling and nutrient transport. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Receptors responsible for sweet taste are present not only in the mouth but also along the intestinal tract.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Kwangwook Kim / kwangwook-kim is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, specializing in swine nutrition and feed additives under disease challenge models. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of California, Davis, where he focused on intestinal health and metabolic responses in pigs. His research evaluates alternatives to antibiotics, targeting gut health and performance in nursery pigs.