By MELISSA HART
Michigan Correspondent COLDWATER, Mich. — With a slate full of topics, a room full of exhibits and a hot lunch on a winter’s day, the 52nd Annual Farmer’s Day will kick off at 9 a.m. on Feb. 18 at the Branch Area Career Center in Coldwater. The Branch County Agri-Business Council, Michigan State University extension and the Branch Area Careers Center have collaborated to stage a day of educational seminars covering a wide variety of topics. The morning sessions will begin at 10 and extension personnel will cover several topics. These include Current “Field Crop Disease and Insect Pest Problems in Southwest Michigan” presented by Dr. Martin Chilvers, MSU field crop pathologist, and Bruce MacKellar. “The Truth of Food Marketing” will be presented by Jeannine Schweihofer, and “Strategies to Reduce On-Farm Energy Expenses” will be discussed by M. Charles Gould. If you find yourself cooking for large groups of people, then you’ll enjoy a seminar by Jeannie Nichols, “Cooking for Crowds,” where she will teach about food safety when preparing meals in volume. This will also include a $10 reference book with more than 100 pages of information and worksheets so you have a safe and successful meal, bake sale, barbeque or banquet. Built in just for youth are two morning sessions that cover beginning livestock care and the basics of horse care. Roger Betz will present a session on farm succession for those who need help planning and navigating the complex matters of passing on the family farm. This session will be offered both in the morning and afternoon. The afternoon will begin at 1 with “Improving Recruiting and Reducing Employee Turnover on your Farm,” presented by Stan Moore. He will teach strategies to improve success in recruiting employees, and show how your employee management can affect both employee turnover and recruitment success. Results from an on-farm demonstration on how to control problematic weeds in southwestern Michigan will be shared by MacKellar and Eric Anderson. And Mike Metzger will help producers understand the lifecycle of Coccidiosis and how it can be prevented. With “The Vegetable Doctor Is In,” Dr. Ron Goldy will be answering those burning vegetable gardening questions, and an “Advance Livestock Care” seminar will address young livestock show people. This class will cover issues that can affect livestock before and during the county fair. Restricted Use Pesticide Exams (RUP) will be offered throughout the day from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. All categories will be administered by the Michigan Department of Agriculture. You must be in the room by 2:15 p.m. in order to take the test. Bring a check or money order payable to State of Michigan – $50 for private and $75 for commercial. The Branch County extension office will provide a study session for RUP exams on Feb. 15 from 8:30 am-noon at a cost of $20. A large trade show will also be included at the event featuring vendors from every corner of agriculture. The trade show will be open from 9 a.m.-3:30 pm. A hot sack lunch will be available for purchase for $3 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., with the proceeds going to the Agribusiness Scholarship Fund. Cameron Victor, Ashley Carr and Carlie Wilson were the 2018 scholarship winners. To obtain more information, contact Branch County extension at 517-279-4311 or msue.branch@county.msu.edu |
