2005 Year in Review

2005 Illinois Forage Expo

The 2005 Illinois Forage Expo will be held on June 13, 2005 at Funk Farms, Shirley, Illinois which is located about ten minutes south of Bloomington, Illinois. Specifically the site can be reached by going south on Interstate 55, exiting at the Shirley exit and then watch for direction signs. The 2005 Expo, beginning at 9 am, will have an expanded agenda because of being held in conjunction with the American Forage and Grassland Council 2005 Conference, June 11-15, Bloomington, Illinois area.

The Forage Expo will feature field demonstrations of forage harvesting equipment and numerous commercial displays of forage related products and equipment. Also, four concurrent educational programs for beef producers, dairy producers, horse owners and hay producers will be offered at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm. In addition, alfalfa plot tours will be held with a discussion on sixteen alfalfa varieties seeded in 2004 and their 2004 and 2005 harvest data.

The Quality Hay Contest, a popular event at the annual Forage Expo will be conducted with all entries due by 10 am. The contest will have four separate classes, alfalfa, alfalfa/grass mix, grass and all other hay with cash prizes awarded to class winners. The contest is open only to 2005-harvested hay and all entries will be core sampled on site for NIR nutrient analysis. Small square bales will be weighed on site while large square or round bales are required to have a certified scale ticket.

The Expo will start at 9 am and conclude at 3:30 pm. Cost is only $10 per vehicle plus $10 per individual for lunch. Complete Forage Expo agenda can be viewed at Illinois Forage. Interested producers are encouraged to consider attending the AFGC scientific forage presentations sessions the following day, June 14 at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, Bloomington, Illinois. Registration details and program content information can be viewed at AFGC.

Companies interested in exhibiting at the AFGC Conference or Forage Expo should contact Ron Atherton at Ron.Atherton@agriking.com. Additional Conference inquiries can be directed to the Conference Co-chairs Roger Staff at Roger.Staff@il.usda.gov; Ron Tombaugh at tombaugh@udnet.net, phone, 309-531-4229 or IFGC president Dean Oswald, University of Illinois Extension, oswaldd@uiuc.edu, phone, 309-836-3366. The Forage Expo is sponsored by Illinois Forage and Grassland Council, American Forage and Grassland Council, University of Illinois Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service and County Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
May 27, 2005