Feb. 15, 2011

Learn how to optimize your cropping and beef production systems to maximize profitability through a mutli-session program specially developed by UNL's West Central Research and Extension Center.

The West Central Cropping System and Beef Production Practicum is a hands-on program designed to give producers with farming and beef production enterprises knowledge, tools, and experiences necessary to improve long-term profitability through environmentally sustainable practices, said Randy Saner, UNL Extension educator in Lincoln and McPherson counties.

The program consists of seven, one-day sessions starting in March and ending in December.

Program Topics

The practicum will focus on the integration of crop and beef production, treating them as equally important parts of the same overall business, Saner said.

Economic consequences of management decisions will be a major part of the program, and university research will serve as the curriculum's core.

Program sessions will cover:

• Integrating crop and beef production
• Economic and financial planning tools
• Crop nutrient management
• Beef cattle production and management
• Irrigated and dryland cropping systems
• Crop residue and grazing management
• Farm estate planning and transfer
• Integrated pest management
• Water resources and management

Registration

Registration is $550 by March 1 or $600 afterward. Space is limited. All educational materials and meals are included.

For more information see the program brochure, contact Tim Shaver at (308) 696-6714, e-mail tshaver2@unl.edu or visit the Lincoln and McPherson counties website at http://lincolnmcpherson.unl.edu/agriculture.