News Release Distributed 12/16/15
BATON ROUGE, La. – The American Forage and Grasslands Council will hold its annual conference on Jan. 10-13, 2016, at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Baton Rouge.
The event is expected to draw 300-350 people, including producers and representatives of universities, industry and government agencies, said Ed Twidwell, LSU AgCenter forage specialist and Louisiana contact for the organization.
The meeting will highlight Louisiana producers on a farm tour on Jan. 10 to East Feliciana Parish. The tour will stop at Richland Hill Plantation, operated by brothers Wedge and Sammy Barthe, and at Hunt Hill Ranch Partners.
“These are innovative producers who are successful with fall grazing,” Twidwell said. The first stop will showcase LSU AgCenter research with cover crops, and the second stop will focus on forage crops.
The conference will open with registration at 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 11. The opening session at 7:45 will feature Teddy Gentry, a member of the country band Alabama. Gentry owns Bent Tree Farm near Fort Payne, Alabama, that focuses on raising grass-fed beef and where he developed the South Poll breed of cattle.
Jan. 11 and 12 will feature presentations and workshops on several aspects of pasture and forage production and management.
Three Louisiana 4-H’ers will be recognized for their winning submissions in the grazing management essay contest sponsored by the Louisiana Forage and Grassland Council. The awards will be presented during a luncheon on Jan. 11.
More information on the conference is available on the council’s webpage at www.afgc.org.
Rick Bogren