UBLY, Mich. — For the purpose of educating farmers, the 40th annual Thumb Ag Day will assemble a roster of speakers and a trade show focused on farming, on Dec. 12 from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Ubly Heights County Club in Ubly.

“The purpose of Thumb Ag Day is twofold: to offer educational updates and a trade show for farmers,” said Huron County Michigan State University extension educator Bob Battel. “There is always another bushel out there to be had, and that’s why farmers continue to educate themselves.”

The trade show will open up at 8:30 a.m., in which vendors from all areas of agriculture will have booths and be on hand to talk throughout the day. The morning educational program will begin at 9 a.m. with extension educator Dennis Stein, speaking on land prices and rental values, options and alternatives in today’s market.

At 10 a.m. Dr. Jim Hilker, a marketing specialist from the MSU Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Economics, will offer a commodity update as well as marketing strategies for farmers.

“Although the yields were very respectable up here in the Thumb area, we had a wild summer and the weather is a hot topic,” commented Battel.

Because of that, at 10:45 a.m., Dr. Jeff Andresen, a climatologist specializing in agriculture from MSU, will reflect on the 2012 growing season, the weather and its implications for agriculture.

The afternoon session, beginning at 12:30 p.m., will offer a chance for farmers to earn Restricted Use Pesticide Credits (RUP), as well as hearing research findings from this year’s Thumb area field trials. MSU extension educators from Huron, Sanilac and Tuscola counties will present their research findings from corn, soybean and wheat research plots.

Mark Seamon, an extension educator from Saginaw County specializing in bioeconomy and innovation in agriculture, will present bioenergy research information as well.

Thumb Ag Day will take place at the Ubly Heights County Club, 2409 E. Atwater Road. Lunch will be available for purchase. For more information on the event, contact extension in Huron County at 989-269-9949, in Sanilac County at 810-648-2515 or in Tuscola County at 989-672-3870.