By: Susan Himes
Susan.Himes@ag.tamu.edu
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will present the annual Big Country Wheat Conference on Aug. 18 in Abilene.
The event will be held at the Taylor County Expo Center, 1700 Texas Highway 36. It will start with registration at 8 a.m. in Big Country Hall followed by the event from 8:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m.
The conference is $15 if registered by Aug. 12, or $20 at the door. Call the AgriLife Extension office in Taylor County at 325-672-6048 to reserve a spot.
Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units are available: one laws and regulations, one general and one integrated pest management.
“It certainly has been a challenging year for producers in our area,” said Steve Estes, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent, Taylor County. “Our goal with this event is to provide producers with information they can use to improve their bottom line during these trying times.”
Wheat topics and speakers
Estes said the conference will focus on the ongoing drought, rising input costs and seed availability, among other pressing topics for the industry.
The keynote speaker for the event will be state Rep. Stan Lambert, District 71. The topics and presenters are as follows:
- State of the Wheat Industry — Darby Campsey, director of communications and producer relations, Texas Wheat Producers Association, Amarillo.
- World Wheat Outlook – Global and Domestic — Mark Welch, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension grain marketing economist, Bryan-College Station.
- Ag Lending in Today’s Volatile Markets — Jason Gibson, Capital Farm Credit, Abilene.
- Optimizing Production Efficiency with Rising Inputs — Reagan Noland, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist, San Angelo.
- Weed and Pest Management Strategies — Noland.
- Seeding Rates, Spacing and Variety Selection — Noland.
- Managing Forage Quality of Small Grains — Calvin Trostle, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist, Lubbock.
- Weather Outlook – Short- and Long-Term Patterns and Trends — Sam Nichols, meteorologist, KTAB-TV, Abilene.
- Seed and Fertility Management — Trostle.
- Nitrogen and Topdressing — Trostle.
- Saved Seed vs. Certified — Trostle.
- Risk Management Strategies for Wheat and Fertilizer — Jared Morgan, vice president for global education, StoneX, Chicago.
- Seed Availability and Logistics Industry Panel — Lance Embree, regional commercial manager, Westbred, Bozeman, Montana, and Mark Hodges, executive director, Oklahoma Genetics Inc., Oklahoma City.
- Texas Department of Agriculture, Laws and Regulations — Jason Jones, inspector, Texas Department of Agriculture, Abilene
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