A Colorado professor who’s designed livestock handling facilities around the world, a New York scientist who’s an authority on dry matter intake from pastures and a Nebraska grazing specialist are among the featured speakers at a meeting Jan. 21 and 22, 2004.

Called “Heart of America Grazing Conference,” the event is sponsored by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service grazing and livestock specialists, and university Extension specialists from Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio.  Held across the river from Kentucky at the Holiday Inn Conference Center near the airport in Evansville, IN, the conference is one Kentucky producers will find valuable.

“If you own livestock that eat grass then there’s something at this conference you’ll find interesting,” said Bob Coleman, University of Kentucky Extension horse specialist and one of the conference organizers. “We have diverse speakers talking about unique topics that will benefit Kentucky producers in beef cattle, dairy, equine, sheep and goats.”

The conference kicks off Wednesday evening, Jan. 21 with a dinner followed by a presentation on livestock handling facilities by Temple Grandin, an animal science professor at Colorado State University.  Grandin has designed facilities in Canada, Europe, Mexico Australia and New Zealand.

Thursday morning, Jan. 22 features a presentation on dry matter intake from pastures by Karen Sullivan, NRCS animal scientist from New York.  Later that morning, Terry Gompert, Knox County, Nebraska Extension educator will speak on extending the grazing season.

Afternoon sessions on Thursday feature discussions on tall fescue endophyte, raising beef, dairy opportunities, genetics of dairy grazing, overworked pastures for horses, making a drylot a pasture, raising goats on forages and grazing sheep.

“We’ll also have vendors there displaying equipment used on grazing operations, new kinds of seed, and a lot of opportunity for producers to interact with people who have grazing livestock,” Coleman said.

The cost to attend is $45 for early registration by Jan. 12, and $60 after that date.  Price breaks are available for those wanting to attend the Wednesday or Thursday events separately.

For information contact Allen Ullom at 812-547-7084 or at ullomg@purdue.edu.  You can also call the Vanderburgh County, IN SWCD office at 812-867-0729, or contact UK’s Bob Coleman at rcoleman@uky.edu.