DALTON, Ohio — Finances and keeping the family on the farm will be among the topics covered at the 2012 North Central Ohio Dairy Grazing Conference, Jan. 26-27 at the Buckeye Event Center in Dalton.

The conference opens Jan. 26 with a presentation by Mike Gessel, of Wooster, Ohio. Gessel will be highlighting the transition of a conventional dairy farm to a grazing operation in his presentation titled “The Gessel Family Farm 13-Year Transition.”

Following Gessel will be Tony Rickard of Columbia, Mo., with a presentation on “Strategy for Feeding Supplements on Grass.” The morning will conclude with a choice of three breakout sessions; “Tiling,” with Mark Martin as the moderator, “Cow Lanes,” with Mervin Hershberger, and “Calf Raising,” with Lester Schlabach.

The afternoon session opens with a panel of young people discussing “Chores On the Farm,” followed by a presentation by Howard Straub of St. John, Mich., titled “Keeping the Children: What Does it Take to Have a Second Generation or More On the Farm?”

The final afternoon session is “Maintaining Dairy Equipment: Key Ingredients,” presented by Nate Miller of Creston, Roland Geiser of Kidron and Joe Hurst of Plymouth, Ohio.

The second day of the conference opens with presentations by Leon Mast of LaGrange, Ind., and Robert Miller of Becks Mills, Ohio, sharing the differences and similarities in their farming operations.

Rickard will be back on the schedule Jan. 27 to discuss his “Evolving New Zealand/Missouri Grazing Model.” He will be followed by Jason Karszes of Ithaca, N.Y., with a presentation titled “Working the Numbers.” Straub will also be back on the second day with a presentation titled “Grass and Robots: Do They Mix?”

The afternoon session will conclude with “Farm Financials with the Money Folks,” moderated by Jason Karszes and panelists Tom Stocksdale of Shreve and Jason Hummel of Berlin, Ohio.

The deadline for registration is Jan. 18. Cost of the conference is $45 for the first person from each farm and $35 for each additional person from the farm if made before Jan. 18. Participants may also register for a single day at a cost of $35. After that, registrations may be made at the door and the cost is $55 for both days or $45 for a single day.

The conference fee includes meals, breaks, registration and the vendor show. Checks should be made payable to: The Small Farm Institute, P.O. Box 214, Millersburg, Ohio 44654.

The conference is sponsored by the North Central Ohio Grazing Council, Agroecosystem Management Program, The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and the Small Farm Institute.