Education

County Agriculture Calendar

New programs are being confirmed every day. Keep in touch with your Extension Office for programs addressing the topics that interest you and are offered in your county. To find your counties website go to: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/cie2/offices/findoffice.cfm

Statewide University of Illinois Extension Calendar Website

http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/cie2/offices/calendar.cfm

Check out Extension’s searchable calendar to find programs throughout the state. Search by location, topic or date to find a program of you interest. To search for CCA-CEU’s, type CCA in the search box.

Animals on Small Acreages, February 7, Kishwaukee College

Are you interested in raising horses, goats, sheep or poultry? Do you own 50 acres or less or are you considering buying a small tract of land? If so, you will want to attend the upcoming workshop “Animals on Small Acreages” scheduled for Saturday, February 7 at Kishwaukee College in Malta, Illinois from 8:30 – 3:30 p.m. The workshop is sponsored by University of Illinois Extension and Kishwaukee College.

“Handling Manure on Small Land Tract” and “Healthy Pastures” are the general sessions in the morning. These are followed by sessions on the care of horses, goats, sheep and poultry.

Dr. Kevin Kline, University of Illinois Extension Equine Specialist, will discuss “Horse Nutrition and Fitness” and “Horse Pasture Hazards” presented by Dr. Dean Scoggins, retired University of Illinois Extension Equine Veterinarian. Then get your horse questions answered at the “Ask the Expert” session with both Dr. Kline and Dr. Scoggins.

“Making Goats Work on Small Acreages,” “Opportunities for Sheep on Small Acreages,” and “Pasture-Raised Poultry “also be presented. These presentations will discuss raising and marketing animals.

For more information about the workshop, contact the University of Illinois Extension Boone Unit at 815-544-3710.

Equine Health Issues, Saturday, February 28, 2004, 10am–2pm

This is the first of four IL/WI Bi-State Horse Workshops to be held from February to May. This workshop will focus on general horse health issues, lameness, and equine dentistry. The morning session will be at the Duck Inn, N614 Hwy 89, Delavan, WI. After lunch, there will be a tour of the Equine Veterinary Associates in Delavan. Speakers will include William Stone, DVM, Rick Tully, DVM and Travis Henry, DVM. For registration information contact Kenosha County UW-Extension, Rose Skora, 262-857-1948, rose.skora@ces.uwex.edu

What's New in Drainage?

Six seminars will be held in February at various locations across Illinois. Each seminar will also include a discussion on drainage law and the use of new technologies, said Solomon. Area staff from the Natural Resources Conservation Services will present an update on Farm Bill implications and a contractors' panel will discuss local issues and provide an installer's perspective on drainage systems. The seminars will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 pm, with registration from 8 to 8:45 a.m. The registration fee of $25 is due one week before a meeting and includes a noon luncheon and take-home materials. Here are the dates, locations and contact information for each seminar:

- February 11, 2004. Rend Lake College, Ina, Ill. Send registrations to: Franklin Extension Unit, 1212 Route 14 West, Benton, IL 62812. (618) 439-3178.

- February 13, 2004. Hancock County Extension Office, Carthage, Ill. Send registrations to: Hancock Extension Unit, 550 N. Madison, Carthage, IL 62321. (217) 357-2150.

- February 16, 2004. Countryside Banquet Facilities, East Peoria, Ill. Send registrations to: Woodford Extension Unit, P.O. Box 162, Eureka, IL 61530. (309) 467-3789.

- February 17, 2004. Holcomb State Bank, Rochelle, Ill. Send registrations to: Ogle Extension Unit, 421 Pines Rd., Suite 10, Oregon, IL 61061. (815) 732-2191.

- February 19, 2004. Kankakee County Extension Office, Bourbonnais, Ill. Send registrations to: Kankakee Extension Unit, 1650 Commerce Dr., Bourbonnais, IL 60914 (815) 933-8337.

- February 20, 2004. Christian County Extension Office, Taylorville, Ill. Send registrations to: Christian Extension Unit, 1120 N. Webster St., Taylorville, IL 62568. (217) 287-7246.

For more information, contact your local University of Illinois Extension office or phone Solomon at the East Peoria Extension Center: (309) 694-7501 (extension 223). You can also email him at jssolomo@uiuc.edu.

Northern Illinois Farm Show Offers Educational Sessions

Educational meetings will be a featured attraction at the Northern Illinois Farm Show on January 7 & 8. Topics to be addressed will focus on numerous issues of concern to the farming community. Sessions will be held both days in meeting rooms adjacent to the main floor of the new Convocation Center. The meetings are sponsored by University of Illinois Extension, DeKalb County Farm Bureau, and DeKalb County Soil and Water Conservation District.

On Wednesday, January 7 Dale Durchholz, market analyst with Illinois Farm Bureau will present a session on "What’s in Store for 2004?" Dale will comment on grain and livestock market prices and opportunities. This session will start at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday and conclude at 11:45 a.m.

Starting at 1 PM on Wednesday Ryan Eby, Site Specific Manager from Plainfield, IL, will offer a session on State-of-The-Art GPS System Analysis. Ryan will compare and contrast the latest in GPS precision technology focusing on systems that farmers are incorporating into their management plans. This session will conclude at 2:15 p.m.

Thursday programming will begin with a session on What’s Going on With Land Prices? from 10:00 – 11:15 a.m. Porter Martin of Martin, Goodrich and Waddell in addition to Mark Akers of Farm Credit Services will comment on current land values and the seven megatrends impacting demand.

At Noon on Thursday Al Kluis will present a Market Outlook session.

Focus on the Land will be the final education session on Thursday from 2:00 – 3:15 p.m. Mark Bramstedt, NRCS Soil Scientist, and Mike Hirschi, U of I Soil & Water Specialist, will address water quality issues and introduce the nomenclature regarding the new soil classifications.

Private Pesticide Applicator testing will also be conducted on both days of the Farm Show. Illinois Department of Agriculture will conduct the testing between 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Individuals needing to renew their PPA license may take the test at one of these times. No test will begin after 1:00 p.m.

2004 American Heartland Aquaculture Conference January 9 and 10

Rend Lake Resort & Conference Center Whittington, Illinois

For more information contact the Missouri Aquaculture Association web site at www.moaa.pond.org or in Illinois Dan Selock 618-536-4451.

Farm Conservation Telenet Program

Landowners and agricultural producers need to take a look at the conservation provisions of the farm bill. There are a number of programs that take land out of continuous row-crop production and help landowners financially if they enroll it in one of the many state/federal conservation programs. To help landowners and producers understand their options, a statewide Farm Conservation Programs Telenet has been scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon on Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at local Extension Unit Offices.

Soil and Nutrient Management: Decision-Making for 2004

Each seminar will run from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The fee for these seminars is $10 per person and pre-registration is required. The deadline is one week prior to each scheduled meeting. Please send your name, address, county and registration fee to the appropriate Extension unit.

The dates and locations for the seminars are as follows:

- January 14, 2004. Richard’s Farm Restaurant, Casey, Ill. Send registrations to: Clark Extension Unit, 15493 N. State Highway 1, Marshall, IL 62441; phone (217)-826-5422.

- January 15, 2004. Madison County Extension Office, Edwardsville, Ill. Send registrations to: Madison Extension Unit, 900 Hillsboro, Box 427, Edwardsville, IL 62025; phone (618)-692-7700.

- January 28, 2004. Holiday Inn, Normal, Ill. Send registrations to: McLean Extension Unit, 402 N. Hershey Rd., Bloomington, IL 61704; phone (309)-663-8306.

- January 29, 2004. Kishwaukee College, Malta, Ill. Send registrations to: DeKalb County Soil & Water Conservation District, 1350 W. Prairie Drive, Sycamore, IL 60178; phone (815)-756-3234, extension 3.

- January 30, 2004. Holiday Inn, Annawan, Ill. Send registrations to: Henry/Stark Extension Unit, P.O. Box 74, Galva, IL 61434; phone (309)-853-1533.

Connecting Illinois Watersheds

The first statewide conference on watershed management will be held in Peoria, Illinois at the Holiday Inn Brandywine on February 5 and 6, 2004. Organizers of the conference hope to provide an educational setting where watershed planning groups can learn more about watershed management and network with others interested in preserving and improving watershed health. Registration for the conference is $25. Registration forms and additional information is available online at www.watershed.uiuc.edu or through local Extension offices.