Dates For Your Calendar

Winter is always jammed packed with agriculture conferences and livestock events.  I wish that I was in Seattle right now for the American Farm Bureau Federation (“AFBF”) annual meeting.  I’m still debating whether I will be heading to the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado next week for the Simmental Show.  It’s my favorite cattle show (and this blog made me miss it more).  I have already posted about the upcoming National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (“NCBA”) conference in San Antonio from January 27-30th but here is NCBA’s speaker line-up.

Don’t forget that the signup for the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (“SURE”) with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (“FSA”) began last week if you suffered a crop production loss in 2008.  Here are some other events and deadlines to mark on your calendar this month that should be worth your time:

January 11-12th – Ag Easement Program with the Ohio Department of Agriculture;

January 13th – Montana Board of Livestock will be meeting in Helena to discuss a Designated Surveilance Area to replace the expired brucellosis plan, mandatory Official Calfhood Vaccination and bovine tuberculosis testing requirements;

January 19th – Application deadline for the Dairy Economic Loss Assistance Payment (“DELAP”) program with the USDA;

January 21st – Beef cattle marketing seminar in Sioux Falls, South Dakota;

January 22nd – 23rd – New York Beef Producers’ Association annual meeting in Syracuse;

January 25th – 27th – Empire State Fruit and Vegetable Expo & Farmers’ Direct Marketing Conference in Syracuse;

January 25th-February 11th – Department of Natural Resources hearings in Wisconsin regarding proposed nonpoint source regulations;

January 30th – Deadline for Livestock Payment Applications with the USDA;

Finally, for those of you who are in NYC, I recommend attending this estate planning workshop in Harlem with Lola O. Oguntunde.  I am going to try to stop by that night after the NYSBA Annual Meeting.