MI Ag Ideas to Grow With Virtual Conference Kicks Off February 19, 2024

Feb 09, 2024

Michigan State University Extension invites you to participate in the 2024 MI Ag Ideas to Grow With conference, February 19 through March 1, 2024.

“Now in our fourth year, we are once again excited to showcase virtual learning about food and animal production,” Beth Ferry, MSU Extension educator based in Berrien County said. “The virtual platform is way to share a variety of agricultural-based sessions with attendees from all across the Great Lakes region.”

The MI Ag Ideas to Grow With virtual conference will feature over 40 educational sessions across a two-week period with topics focused on fruit and vegetable production, field crops, animal agriculture, farm business management for beginners, the environment and conservation, growing and irrigation management. The conference will kick off on Monday, February 19 with sessions for beginning farmers and horse owners.

“The diversity of Michigan agriculture is showcased during this educational event, with opportunities for the new and beginning farm to the seasoned professional looking for Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) credits,” Jon LaPorte, MSU Extension educator based in Cass County said. “There’s truly a session for everyone and we look forward to the expertise this year’s speakers will share with producers.”

Due to the generous support of MSU Extension, this event is offered to participants at no cost. However, attendees must register to receive the necessary Zoom links. Participants can attend as many sessions as they would like and are also able to jump around between tracks. RUP and CCA credits will be offered for several of the sessions.

Source : msu.edu

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.