Master Beef Producer Classes Begin In January



Beginning on Tuesday, January 12, producers in Cannon, Coffee and Warren County will have the opportunity to participate in a Master Beef Producer Class. The Master Beef Producer Program will be taught at Bridgestone/Firestone Learning Center in Morrison.

Producers enrolling in the Master Beef Producer program will receive instruction on 12 topics that focus on cow-calf production, marketing and issues facing the beef industry. You will also receive a 208 page “Tennessee Master Beef Producers Manual” that corresponds to the topics taught in the sessions.

This manual will be used as a study manual during the course and for your future reference. Following completion of the course, you will be awarded a “certificate,” a Master Beef Producer cap and Master Beef Producer sign that can be mounted near the entrance to your farm.

The cost of the program is $150, but $100 scholarship is provided by the Tennessee Ag Enhancement program. To qualify for the scholarship, you must have a “Premise ID Number” as well as be a “Beef Quality Assurance” (BQA) Certified producer and complete the Master Beef Producer Program.

In addition, the Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association is awarding a year’s membership to producers who complete the master Beef producer program for those producers who will be “new members” and not membership renewals.

To enroll in the Master Beef Producer Program, contact the Cannon County Extension Office at 563-2554, or drop by the Office at 614 Lehman Street. The cost of the program is $50.

If you are interested in participating in a Master Beef Producer a program, please give the Cannon County Extension Office a call at 563-2554.

Pre-Register for Grain Conference by January 22

Farmers planning to attend the fifth annual Middle Tennessee Grain Conference scheduled for Thursday, January 28 at the Coffee County Fairgrounds in Manchester can save money by pre-registering at their local UT Extension office by Friday, January 22.

Pre- registration cost for the conference is five dollars per person, which includes the program and materials, refreshments, lunch, a copy of the conference proceedings including an outlook of 2010’s weather patterns from World Weather Inc., a grain conference cap, and a crop production and diagnostic resource back pack for the first 185 farmers. The price at the door will be ten dollars per person.

Farmers can certainly attest to rising costs as they have seen their crop production cost per acre sky rocket over the last five years. The cost of education has also increased substantially and to help address both issues, UT Extension Agents, Specialists, farmers, and agricultural suppliers have put together an educational conference to help farmers with a number of profitability issues for the upcoming crop season.

By pooling resources, The University of Tennessee and its many partners can provide more effective educational program for our farmers. According to the 2009 conference evaluation survey, 116 farmers from seventeen middle Tennessee Counties and two adjoining states rated the Middle Tennessee conference as an excellent source of information addressing pertinent crop production topics.

An excellent slate of speakers on planting, managing, harvesting, and marketing strategies for corn, wheat and soybean production in 2010 has been planned in addition to the keynote speaker from Top Third AG Marketing Services of Chicago, IL. Jim Hemminger will address “How to Manage Risk in Today’s Volatile Market”.

Hemminger is a former thirty year member of the Chicago of Trade.  He started his career as a floor broker and market analyst for an international grain company and then spent over twenty-five years as a trader and broker. Top Third AG Marketing Services is highly regarded for their market analysis and information and featured on a number television shows, radio programs, and seminars across the country.

The Middle Tennessee Grain conference begins with registration at 7:30 am. Trade show opens at 8:00 am, topic presentations begin at 9:00 am concluding with the keynote speaker after a catered lunch.

This program, like all UT Extension programs, is open to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability or veteran status.

For more details on topics and pre-registration contact Cannon County Extension Office at 615-563-2554.