DEVILS LAKE, N.D. - Bill Hodous chuckles when asked if there's anything he'd like to say about the 2017 Lake Region Extension Roundup.
"Well, Roundup is back, and that's always a good thing," says Hodous, North Dakota's Ramsey County Extension Service agent and a Roundup organizer.
Hundreds of area agriculturalists will agree.
The 37th annual Roundup, set for Jan. 3 and 4 at the Memorial Building in downtown Devils Lake, N.D., is expected to once again draw about 700 people. Speakers, primarily from the extension service, commodity groups and private companies, will address crops, weeds, livestock, marketing, crop insurance and many other subjects.
All sessions are free and open to the public. Registration isn't required. Free breakfast and lunch will be offered both days. Continuing education credits are available for certified crop advisers.
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The event is sponsored by the extension and crop improvement associations in six North Dakota counties. Ag producers in the area raise many crops and types of livestock, and Roundup's diverse agenda reflects that.
Hodous says this year's highlights include:
• A presentation on drift reduction technology by Greg Kruger, weed science and application technology specialist with the University of Nebraska at 11 a.m. Jan. 3.
• An advance look at 2017 weather from Daryl Ritchison, interim director of the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network at 3 p.m. Jan. 3.
• A cake honoring the retirement of Willie Huot, Grand Forks (N.D.) County Extension agent, and Mike Hergert, farm broadcaster of the Red River Farm Network at 2:30 pm. Jan. 4.
Huot is wrapping up a four-decade career with extension at the end of the year.
For more information on the 2017 Roundup, visit ag.ndsu.edu/ramseycountyExtension/lake-region-extension-roundup.
