The annual O.D. Butler Field Day is scheduled for May 19 at the Camp Cooley Division of Circle X Ranch, 4297 Camp Cooley Ranch Road, Franklin. High input costs will be discussed, along with several featured tour stops and vendor presentations.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offices in Robertson, Brazos, Burleson, Falls, Grimes, Leon, Limestone, Madison, McLennan, Milam and Washington counties will host the event.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. at the sale headquarters. The program will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The cost is $35, payable in advance with the required preregistration at https://tx.ag/2023ButlerForageFD. Call the AgriLife Extension offices in Robertson County, 979-828-4270, or in Brazos County, 979-823-0129, for more information about the program.
Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units are available – one each in the categories of general, integrated pest management and laws and regulations.
Morning tour stops, topics and speakers
Trailers will be available to transport participants to the stops. Each stop is scheduled to last about 45 minutes. The three morning topics and speakers are:
• Hay Field and Pasture Weed Control. Barron Rector, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension range specialist in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Bryan-College Station, will discuss weed control in hay fields and pastures, as well as new products use and effectiveness in maintaining control.
• Feral Hog Trapping with several demonstrations. Jamie Sugg, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Walker County, will address ways to trap wild hogs and have the Boar Buster and Pig Brig systems on hand to show how they operate and are controlled.
• Hay Cutting Height and Stubble Height on Forage Recovery. Tony Provin, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension soil chemist and professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, and director of the Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory, will discuss the differences in hay cutting height and stubble height on forage recovery, fertility requirements and demands.
After the tour, there will be brief updates from participating farm equipment dealers on new farm equipment and technology available to producers. Lunch will follow.
Afternoon topics and speakers
The afternoon topics and speakers will include the following:
• Pesticide Laws and Regulations: Updated laws and regulation information—the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offices in Robertson, Brazos, Burleson, Falls, Grimes, Leon, Limestone, Madison, McLennan, Milam and Washington counties will host the event.
• Hay producer panel—Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension forage specialist in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Overton, will moderate a panel of local hay producers discussing how they manage the exceptional high input prices, drought conditions, hay production process and storage.
