Mark your calendars and join us for the Western Alfalfa & Forage Symposium, December 2-4, 2015 at the Silver Legacy Resort in Reno, Nevada. This Symposium is a comprehensive and educational program for anyone with an interest in important issues related to alfalfaand forages, including farmers, Pest Control Advisors, Certified Crop Advisors, industry members, and agency representatives. Continuing Education (CE) Units will be provided. A preliminary schedule appears below.
REGISTER EARLY AND SAVE! Early Bird Registration for the Symposium is available now through September 15.
Please visit the SYMPOSIUM WEBSITE for Schedules, Exhibitor/Sponsorship Opportunities, Symposium Registration, and Hotel Reservations. Western Alfalfa & Forage Symposium.
Please visit the SYMPOSIUM WEBSITE for Schedules, Exhibitor/Sponsorship Opportunities, Symposium Registration, and Hotel Reservations. Western Alfalfa & Forage Symposium.
Producing Alfalfa & Forages in a Water-Challenged World
Schedule of Events:
Day One – December 2 (8 am to 5 pm)
Day Two – December 3 (8 am to 5 pm)
Day Three – December 4(8 am through Noon)
Day One – December 2 (8 am to 5 pm)
- Irrigation Management Workshop. Detailed alfalfa irrigation management training for practitioners. The program will include an overview of water management and why it’s important; principles of soil-water relations; practical steps to management of irrigation using different tools including ET measurements; soil moisture data; other types of data; management of sprinkler, flood and drip irrigation; and irrigating alfalfa during drought periods.
- Visit with Industry and Farm Leaders in Water and Irrigation
- Welcome Reception with Exhibitors
Day Two – December 3 (8 am to 5 pm)
- Symposium Sessions
- Economics and Marketing
- Alfalfa Hay Market Trends
- Dairy Trends as Affecting Hay and Feed Prices
- Dairy and Hay Exports: What are the trends, what is the future?
- Water and Irrigation
- Food Production in a Water Stressed World
- Realities of Groundwater Extraction and Management
- Impacts of Climate Change on Surface Water Supplies
- Breakout Sessions
- Pest Management
- Weed Management in Grasses
- Recent Developments in Alfalfa Weed Control
- Poisonous Weeds
- Management of Pocket Gophers and Voles: What’s new?
- Aphid Control in Alfalfa
- IPM Approaches for Alfalfa
- Clover Root Curculio and Alfalfa Stem Nematode
- Strategies for Managing Foliar and Root Rot Diseases in Alfalfa
- Alternative Forage Crops
- Soybeans: An alternative hay crop to reduce nitrogen and harvest costs
- Cover Crops for Soil Health and Grazing
- Annual Forages: A tool in managing limited water resources
- Grass, Legumes, and Grass/Legume Mixtures: Yield, quality, and soil water depletion
- Sorghum, Sorghum Sudangrass as Alternatives
- Teff Grass
- Nitrogen Management in Timothy
- Alfalfa Rotational Benefits: How to calculate
- Exhibitor Reception
- CAFA Auction
- Meeting with Hay organizations from different States
Day Three – December 4(8 am through Noon)
- Symposium Sessions
- Forage Quality and Utilization
- Producing High Quality Hay for Horses
- Forage Quality and Utilization: Total track digestibility
- Forage Quality: How much does it pay?
- Sampling Protocols for Double-compressed Hay and Detection of a GMO Trait
- Hay Harvesting/Hay Management
- Costs of Owning/Operating Harvest Equipment
- Influence of Harvesting Techniques on Quality and Yield
- Relative Humidity Measurements and Harvesting
- Hay Preservation/Storage Losses
