Farmers and ranchers in northern North Dakota raise a wide range of crops and livestock. In response, the annual Lake Region Extension Service Roundup in Devils Lake, N.D., will again offer an array of informational sessions.
"We try to provide information that people can use," says Bill Hodous, Ramsey County Extension Service agent, who's helping organize Roundup.
This year's event, set for Jan. 7 and 8 at the Memorial Building in Devils Lake, is expected to draw about 700 people. Speakers, primarily from the extension service, commodity groups and private companies, will address topics including wheat, dry beans, barley, canola, cattle, land rents, the farm bill and precision agriculture.
All the sessions are free and open to the public. Registration isn't required. Breakfast will be offered at 8 a.m. and lunch at noon, on both days.
Mike Kruger, founder and president of The Money Farm, a grain marketing advisory company near Fargo, N.D., will give a keynote address at 3 p.m. Jan. 7.
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Plunging crop prices are causing area farmers to take a hard look at what crops they might be able to grow profitability in 2014, Hodous says.
John McGillicuddy, an Iowa agronomist, will give the keynote address at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 8. He'll speak on plant nutrition and production systems.
Corn is increasingly common in northern North Dakota, Hodous notes.
Both days feature a number of concurrent sessions from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The list includes:
Tuesday, Jan. 7
• 11:30 a.m. -- spring wheat outlook, Neal Fisher, executive director of the North Dakota Wheat Commission.
• 1 p.m. -- livestock stewardship and handling, Gerald Stokka, livestock stewardship specialist with the North Dakota State University Extension Service.
• 1 p.m. -- emerging findings in precision agriculture, Paul Gunderson, director of Dakota Precision Ag Center, Lake Region State College in Devils Lake.
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Wednesday, Jan. 8
• 9:30 a.m. -- family considerations and estate planning, Brenda Langerud, Ramsey County extension agent.
• 11:30 a.m. -- marketing logistics, Frayne Olson, NDSU Extension Service crops economist and marketing specialist.
• 1 p.m. -- land rate agreements, Willie Huot, Andy Swenson and Dwight Aakre, all with the NDSU Extension Service.
Roundup hasn't been cancelled since it began in 1984. It draws large crowds regardless of weather conditions, Hodous says.
More information: www.ag.ndsu.edu/ramseycountyexten sion/lake-region-extension-roundup/2014-roundup-schedule.
