November 20, 2009

Increasing farmer profits will be the theme at UNL Extension's Growing Corn and Soybeans to Fuel Nebraska workshops scheduled for five locations November 30 to December 4. Growers can learn about a range of options to expand income opportunities or improve their profitability.

The workshops, formerly known as the Corn-Soybean Profitability Workshops, will start with 9 a.m. registration and end by 3 p.m. each day.

Topics and presenters will vary by site and include:

• Crop Systems Decisions, presented by a local UNL Extension educator
• Equipment and Residue Considerations, Paul Jasa, UNL Extension engineer
• Cellulose to Fuel, John Hay, UNL Extension educator
• Crop Residue Values — How Much Can I Remove?, Robert Klein, UNL western Nebraska crops specialist, O'Neill, Waverly, Lexington, and Culbertson locations
• Stover to Pellet Contracts and Facilities in Central Nebraska, Jonathan Aal, Next Step Biofuels, Columbus location
• Putting Biofuels to Use, Loren Isom, UNL Industrial Agricultural Products Center coordinator
• How to Improve the Management Decision Process for the Whole Farming Operation, Allan Vyhnalek, UNL Extension educator, Columbus location only
• What Does Industry Want in Our Grain for Better Ethanol?, Jerome Fagerland, NEDAK Ethanol Association, O'Neill location; Todd Philips, ADM representative, Columbus location; Andrew Johansen, E-Energy Adams, Waverly location; and Tydd Rohrbough, Cornhusker Energy, Lexington location; and Mike Pollnow, Trenton Ag Products, Culbertson location.
• 2010 Corn/Soybean Production Costs, Robert Klein, UNL western Nebraska crops specialist
• Recognizing and Managing Corn/Soybean Diseases, Tamra Jackson, UNL Extension plant pathologist, O'Neill location, and Jennifer Rees, UNL Extension educator, at the Columbus, Waverly, Lexington and Culbertson locations
• Grain Storage Management in Mid Winter, Tom Dorn, UNL Extension educator, Waverly location
• Water Management to Conserve Energy and Water, Dewey Teel, O'Neill location; Managing Water Using Watermark Sensors and the ET Gage, Aaron Nygren, Columbus location; and Steve Melvin, Lexington location; and Crop Marketing Strategies for Profit, Brian Strauchand and Robert Tigner, Culberston location.

For more information about these workshops, contact the location's host educator or a local UNL Extension office.

CCA credits will be awarded in the areas of crop management (2.5), soil and water (2), and pest management (0.5).