December 14, 2007

Sorghum Cropping Profitability Seminars will be held at three locations January 29-31. The meetings, hosted by the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Producers Association (NeGSPA) and Grain Sorghum Board, are supported by UNL and KSU Extension. 

Seminars will be held: 

• Tuesday, January 29 at the Ella Missing Community Center in Arapahoe
• Wednesday, January 30 at the 4-H Building in Deshler; and
• Thursday, January 31 at the Saline Center at the intersection of Nebraska 15 and County Road M in Saline County. 

"Water limitations for irrigation, high energy costs and weatheruncertainties have farmers looking for ways to gain greater productionefficiency," says Gerald Simonsen of Ruskin, NeGSPA president. "Farmersare looking for ways to reduce costs and production risk while achievingtop yields." 

"The program is designed specifically for farmers looking for informationthey can apply immediately to their operations," adds Burdette Piening ofLincoln, chair of the Grain Sorghum Board. "It also gives farmers achance to offer input on the sorghum check-off program." Each day beginswith a public forum hosted by the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board. 

Topics

Program presentations will include:

• Weather Outlook, Al Dutcher UNL climatologist;
• How To Produce Top Yields Under Water-Limiting Conditions, Barney Gordon, KSU agronomist;
• Economics Of Grain Sorghum Production, Matt Stockton, UNL extension agricultural economist, and Randy Pryor, UNL extension educator;
• Performance Of Animals On Brown Midrib Grain Sorghum With Superior Forage Quality, Galen Erickson, UNL extension beef nutritionist,
• New Tools And Old Techniques For Excellent Weed Control In Sorghum, Mark Bernards, UNL extension weed specialist;
• Sorghum Diseases, Their Identification and Treatment, Tamra Jackson, UNL extension plant pathologist;
• Nitrogen Management And Recommendations For Sorghum, Charles Wortmann, UNL extension soils specialist; and
• The Status Of The Proposed National Check-Off On Sorghum, Sorghum Association representatives. 

The noon meal will feature the traditional sorghum pancake feed with all the fixings. Agribusiness representatives will have exhibits to showcase new products and production/management information.

 Registration at the door is $5, however, members of the Nebraska GrainSorghum Producers Association will be admitted free. The program each day will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

Application has been made to the Nebraska Certified Crop Advisor Program for continuing education credits. "Previous programs have been assigned CEU's by the CCA Review Committee," he said. "We're equally excited about this year's program with the strong line-up of experts." 

Producers wanting more information are encouraged to contact their localextension Educator or the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board/NeGSPA office at (402) 471-4276 or by email at sorghum-bk@email.state.ne.us. 

News Release
Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board