2010 Spring Forage Conference

26th Annual Southwest Missouri Spring Forage Conference Tuesday, February 23, 2010 University Plaza Hotel, Springfield, MO Welcome to the 26th Annual Southwest Missouri Spring Forage Conference This year marks our 26th Annual Southwest Missouri Spring Forage Conference! I am a twenty-four year member of the Spring Forage Conference Planning Committee. It is also my privilege to hold the position of chairman of the committee for the third time. The SW Missouri Spring Forage Conference is one of the most popular educational programs offered in the Missouri specifically targeting forage producers. From its inception in 1983, this conference has grown from about 50 attendees to more recent attendance numbers averaging 400 to 500. Each year, the Planning Committee strives to improve upon our previous conferences. This year is no exception, especially since this is a milestone year for the conference. We sincerely appreciate your comments and ask that you take a few minutes to complete the conference evaluation before leaving today. In addition to the keynote address, we have organized four break-out sessions for you to attend covering a wide selection of topics. These topics were decided largely based on the conference evaluations from this past year requests from participants. We hope you will find those you attend educational and you are able to take information back to benefit your operations. Between each break-out session and before and after lunch, please make sure you take time to visit the Trade Show. At the request of the vendors and in an effort to provide more seating capacity, we have moved the 30 to 40 vendors who will participate in this year’s conference to the Nebraska Room near the Lunch room. These vendors will be available for you to view and discuss their services and/or products. Each year, the Planning Committee strives to improve upon our previous conferences. This year is no exception. We sincerely appreciate your comments and ask that you take a few minutes to complete the conference evaluation before leaving today. A conference of this size requires the help of many individuals and organizations. The Spring Forage Conference planning committee is a partnership of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Southwest Missouri, University of Missouri Extension, USDA Farm Service Agency, Missouri State University Agriculture Department, University of Missouri Southwest Research Center, and the Missouri Department of Conservation. Many thanks to the vendors, break sponsors, conference speakers and especially the producers for making this a quality conference. Thanks also to the Conference Planning Committee for their dedication and hard work involved in planning and conducting this year's conference. We hope you have an enjoyable and useful day! Sincerely, Gereon Brownsberger 2010 Chair, SW Missouri Spring Forage Conference CEU Credits Sponsor and Exhibitor Registration - (PDF Version) Committee Members The Southwest Missouri Spring Forage Conference is brought to you by these university and agency partners: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Farm Service Agency University Of Missouri Extension Soil and Water Conservation Districts of: Barry, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Douglas, Greene, Laclede, Lawrence, Polk, Stone, Taney, Webster, & Wright Counties Missouri State University, Agriculture Department Missouri Department of Conservation University of Missouri Southwest Research Center.