The 5th Annual Statewide Project Grass Conference will be held October 20-21 at Penn College in Williamsport. The conference is geared toward grassland agriculture businesses with grazing herds, though this year’s conference will have a new twist.

Project Grass 2006 will include traditional topics, such as pasture management, dairy heifer grazing, value-added marketing, and converting to organic dairying producer. This year’s conference will also expand into alternative energy topics, including solar and wind power on the farm, bio-fuels on the farm and more.

The keynote speakers are Jim Gerrish and Dr. Allen Williams.

Gerrish brings 20 years of experience in beef-forage systems research while at the University of Missouri, and 20 years of experience in commercial cattle and sheep production at his family farm in Missouri. His research and outreach efforts have been recognized by the American Forage and Grasslands Council, USDA-NRCS, the Soil and Water Conservation Society, Progressive Farmer and many more.

Dr. Williams is an internationally recognized branded beef program consultant. His consulting firms specialize in building branded beef programs, value-chain management, and ranch/farm business planning. Prior to forming his consulting companies, Dr. Williams spent nine years with Louisiana Tech University and six years at Mississippi State University.

Registration deadline is September 29.

For more information and a registration from and brochure, contact Kris Ribble at 570-784-4401 Ext. 111 or send email to: kris.ribble@pa.usda.gov or visit the Project Grass website.

6/16/2006