Where can Farmers go to get their Ticket for Making Money?

 

Farmers may be looking for a ticket for warmer climates this winter, but in the face of tough economic times for farmers, field crop producers need a place to get the best information available to manage their crops for maximum efficiency and a return on their investment. As most know already, there’s no golden ticket for making money in farming, just the usual hard work, sound advice and good, timely decisions. To help farmers make good decisions, Michigan State University Extension is providing farmers a chance to hear the latest research information from some of the best field crop specialists from MSU.

 

Field crops producers, agribusinesses, U.S. veterans and any others interested are invited to join MSU Extension specialists and educators at a new program series, Field Crop Production Update. Experts will be discussing soil fertility, cover crops, a systems approach to corn and soybeans, wheat agronomy and crop marketing strategies. These programs will provide sound, research-based recommendations to help farmers make decisions that affect their bottom line. This program should not be confused with the Pest Management Update, a long-standing program designed around pest management.

 

The Field Crop Production Update program will be held at two locations in early February 2019: Thursday, Feb. 7, at the Saginaw Valley Research and Education Center in Frankenmuth, Michigan, and Friday, Feb. 8, at the Emerald Golf Course in St. Johns, Michigan. The cost of each event is $30 per person and includes lunch and all materials. Four RUP credits and four CCA credits will be available for both sessions.

 

Both sites will have the same agenda beginning with registration at 8:30 a.m. and concluding at 2:30 p.m. Early registration is encouraged for all MSU Extension programs. To register online, go to Field Crop Production Update.

 

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.