Open Q & A With MSU Specialists on June 8 Field Crops Virtual Breakfast Series

May 31, 2023

By Monica Jean

The Field Crops Virtual Breakfast Series on June 8, 2023, will be different from others. It will allow the listeners to determine where the conversation will go. The beginning 20-minute presentation will be an open time to listen and converse about the farming communities’ concerns. If questions are light, we will discuss current pest pressure with our specialists. Following the open Q & A session, MSU Extension climatologist Jeff Andresen will present a 15-minute weather summary and forecast. If more discussion is needed, a question-and-answer period will follow until 8 a.m. Other MSU Extension specialists and educators will be available for discussion.

The Michigan State University Extension Field Crops Virtual Breakfast series will run every Thursday from March 30 through Sept. 21, 7 – 8 a.m. EDT live via Zoom. Farmers, agribusiness personnel and others interested in agriculture can interact with MSU Extension specialists and educators to get their questions answered. Michigan pesticide applicators can earn enough restricted use pesticide (RUP) credits during the season to recertify their credential. One RUP credit (1A, 1B, Comm or Private Core) and one continuing education unit (CEU) for Certified Crop Advisors (CCA) are available with each live session.

Each week features a 15-minute presentation on a timely topic from a MSU Extension specialist or educator followed by a 15-minute weather summary and forecast by MSU Extension state climatologist Jeff Andresen. Participants then receive information to apply for credits and can leave or stay for a Q&A session. In addition to the scheduled speakers, other MSU field crops specialists and educators are frequently part of the call and available to answer questions.

Participating is easy and free! You can join the live meeting via Zoom using a computer, tablet, mobile device or regular phone line. If you are new to Zoom, simply download the Zoom app and you will be ready to join online every week to see visuals shared by presenters. A phone-in option is also available for the audio portion only.

Participants must use a one-time signup to receive an email notification with instructions for joining the Virtual Breakfast as well as weekly reminders. Registrants can opt out at any time.

If you cannot join a live session, you can view the recorded version at any time. However, only the live session will be eligible for RUP and CCA credits.

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.