2015 Illinois Forage Expo
URBANA, ILL.
The 2015 Illinois Forage Expo will be held Tuesday, June 23 and hosted by Lawfer’s Willow Valley Dairy Farm in Jo Daviess County. Located at 4389 South Willow Road, Kent, the event will start at 9 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m.
The Forage Expo will consist of field demonstrations including mowing, raking, and harvesting plus commercial displays of forage related products and equipment. Also featured will be a tour of Lawfer’s robotic milking system. In addition, educational sessions will be presented that focus on forage management.
Also, a Quality Hay & Haylage Contest will be available for producers to enter 2015 harvested hay and haylage bales. Entries in the Quality Hay & Haylage Contest must be delivered on site from 8:30 am to 10:00 am. There is no entry fee and NIRS analysis will be provided free of charge. Bales weighing over 100 pounds need an official scale weigh ticket. Four hay classes and one haylage class will be available and class winners will receive a certificate. Producers are limited to one entry per class.
Specifically the Forage Expo site can be reached by taking US Route 20 west of Freeport, continuing west through the intersection of Route 20 and Illinois Route 73 for 6 miles, then turn south on South Willow Road and continue about 4 miles to the site. Watch for signs. There is no admission charge and food will be available for purchase on site.
Additional information concerning the Illinois Forage Expo is available at http://www.illinoisforage.org/ , or by calling Dave Gentry 309-846-8320, or the University of Illinois Extension 815-235-4125, web.extension.illinois.edu/jsw. Those interested in having a commercial exhibit should contact Don Brown 815-238-8372.
The Illinois Forage Expo is sponsored by the Illinois Forage and Grassland Council. Forage Expo supporters include University of Illinois Extension, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Stephenson County Farm Bureau. ∆