Published January 15, 2008
University of Wyoming President Tom Buchanan will be the featured speaker at the Big Horn Basin Ag Ambassadors Ag Appreciation Dinner during WESTI (Wyoming Extension's Strategically and Technologically Informative) Ag Days Feb. 5-6 in Worland. Buchanan's presentation is a "State-of-the-State talk on the People's University."
The ambassadors sponsor WESTI with the theme "Partners in Agriculture."
The event, full of presentations pertinent to agriculture, is at the
Worland Community Center Complex at 1200 Culbertson Ave. Registration
begins each day at 8:30 a.m. The ag appreciation dinner begins at 6:30
p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, at the complex. Producers are asked to call the
Washakie County UW CES office at (307) 347-3431 to reserve tickets.
"The banquet has become an annual tradition and one of the social
highlights of the year for farm and ranch families," says Jim Gill, UW
Cooperative Extension Service (UW CES) Northwest Area educator based in
Worland.
The Washakie County CowBelles will serve dinner. The 2008 Big Horn Basin
Ag Citizen of the Year will also be announced, and "Buffalo Bill
Boycott" will perform. William Frederick Boycott of Lander as "Buffalo
Bill" performs historical, cowboy and original songs on the history of
the Wild West and Wyoming .He also presents humorous cowboy poetry,
tells stories in traditional American Indian sign language and yodels.
The first day of WESTI is dedicated to training farmers and ranchers
needing to obtain or renew a Wyoming private pesticide applicator
license, says Gill. Persons attending the training will receive the
license issued by the Wyoming Department of Agriculture.
John Hewlett, extension farm management specialist, will start the
program with his presentation "AGR-Lite, A New Tool for Managing Risk on
Wyoming Crop and Livestock Operations."
A series of concurrent sessions will be offered by Northwest Area
educators Barton Stam, Gill and Ron Cunningham. Jarrod Glanz with the
Washakie County Weed and Pest Control District will discuss pesticide
safety issues.
State Sen. Gerry Geis (R-Worland), representing Senate District 20, will
be the featured speaker at the Tuesday luncheon. Geis is chairman of
the Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee
and of the Select Water Committee. Geis will discuss legislative issues
important to agriculture producers.
A variety of topics will be covered Feb. 6. Subjects include Round-up
Ready sugar beets, animal identification, managing manure for
profitability and feasibility of alternative rural enterprises.
Additional topics will include a review of Montana sugar beet research,
managing stored grains on the farm, dealing with prairie dogs,
genetically selecting for economically important traits in the beef and
lamb industry, managing irrigation under center pivot irrigation
systems, progress in controlling Russian olive and tamarisk (salt cedar)
and an update by the Wyoming state veterinarian's office.
The featured luncheon speaker for Wednesday is Xavier Montoya, Wyoming
Natural Resources Conservation Service state conservationist, who will
discuss conservation efforts across the state.
For more information, registration and programs, call the Washakie County Extension
office at (307) 347-3431.
