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Missouri Livestock Symposium Includes Topics Of Interest For Sheep And Meat Goat Producers
KIRKSVILLE, MO.
The Missouri Livestock Symposium has announced their sheep and meat goat section speakers and topics for 2015. The Symposium will be held December 4 and 5 with all of the sheep and meat goat programs held on December 5th. The Missouri Livestock Symposium is held in Kirksville, Missouri at the William Mathew Middle School. The event also features an agriculture-related trade show, a classic tractor display, a free beef dinner on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. and a free Governor’s Style Luncheon on Saturday at noon. There is no pre-registration required and no cost to attend. Nationally known speakers on equine, beef cattle, forages, stock dogs and more are also a part of the Symposium. Program details may be found at missourilivestock.com or by calling Garry Mathes at 660-341-6625 or the Adair County Extension Center at 660-665-9866.
According to Garry L. Mathes, chair of the Missouri Livestock Symposium planning committee, the sheep programs on Saturday, December 5th include the following: Our featured speaker will be Dr. Brian Faris, sheep and meat goat specialist from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, will have three topics of interest to sheep producers, How the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) Will Impact Sheep Producers, New Ideas for Treating Foot Rot and Changes Coming to the Scrapie Eradication Program and Managing Parasites While Fighting Anthelmintic Resistance.
Beth Walker, professor at Missouri State University in Springfield, MO will speak on two topics, Benefit of Hair Sheep and New Hair Breeds to Consider and Challenges and Opportunities Associated with Direct Marketing Lamb. Rounding out the sheep section is a session on Protecting the Flock: Predator Control Options, by Linda Coffey, sustainable agriculture specialist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) from Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Dr. Brian Faris of Kansas State University will also headline the meat goat section. His topics will include Use of Crossbreeding to Maximize Profit Potential, Managing Parasites While Fighting Anthelmintic Resistance, and How the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) Will Impact Goat Producers. Dr. Beth Walker of Missouri State University will also appear in the meat goat section and speak on Multispecies Grazing in Multispecies Pastures: Challenges and Opportunities and To Grain or Not to Grain: Pros and Cons of Developing a Grass-finished System with Goats. Linda Coffey, NCAT, will also round off the meat goat section with Dairy Goats for Home Production.
Hours for the 2015 Missouri Livestock Symposium are 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Friday, December 5th and from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday, December 6th. In addition to the free beef dinner at 6:00 pm on Friday night and the free trade show, Mike Adams, host of Agritalk will be the keynote speaker when he talks on “The customer may not always be right, but…”
Mathes also points out that other talks of interest to both sheep and meat goat producers can be found in the forages and stock dog sections of the Symposium. Robin Reasoner from St. Louis, Missouri, competes at the national level with her Border Collies on sheep and cattle and teaches herding lessons to farmers and competitive trial coaching. Reasoner will have three talks on working dogs, including Your Working (Herding) Partner, Training (Herding) Techniques and Tips, and Training Techniques and Fitness. Please do not bring your dog.
In the forages section, Doug Peterson, state soil health conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), returns to speak on a two-part series on grazing for healthy soils. Professor and MU Extension Forage Specialist Dr. Craig Roberts will also cover two topics, Fescue Toxicosis and Management and New Solutions for Fescue Toxicosis. Rounding out the forages section David Otte, forage manager at Green Valley Seeds, will speak on Getting Your Pastures Ready for 2016 and Kent Shannon, MU Extension Natural Resources Engineer will speak on Fertility, Soil Mapping and GPS.
The Missouri Livestock Symposium will partner with The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri again this year. Monetary donations may be left at registration table on Friday and Saturday. Every dollar contributed provides 15 pounds of food.
Go to missourilivestock.com for the full program lineup or to get additional information on all of the speakers, or call the Adair County Extension Center at 660-665-9866. ∆
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