Event Date
Event Date
Location
Nugget Casino Resort Sparks, NV
2023 12-14 December
52nd Western Alfalfa & Forage Symposium
Sparks, New Vegas
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Soil Health and Fertility Workshop
| Time | Tuesday, December 12 | Workshop | |
| 7:00—6:00 pm | Registration Open | |
| 7:00—8:00 am | Continental Breakfast (Workshop Participants Only) | |
| Session I | Fertilizer Outlook and Trends | |
| 8:00 am | Fertilizer Supply and Demand Outlook | Carson Britz, Nutrien Ag Solutions | San Luis Obispo, CA |
| 8:30 am | Role of Fertilizers to Promote Soil Health | Christopher W. Rogers, USDA-ARS |
| 9:00 am | Regenerative Agriculture, Soil Health, and Nutrient Inputs | Andrew McGuire, Washington State University | Moses Lake, WA |
| Session II | Sampling, Diagnosis, and Decisions (Sampling Breakout Sessions) | |
| 9:30 am | Soils Sampling Whole Fields and Site-Specific Management | Matt Yost, Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| 10:00—10:15 am | Break | |
| 10:15—12:15 pm | Soil and Plant Diagnosis Problem Set Breakout Sessions: From Testing to Decisions (30 minutes each, choose 4 of 6) | |
| A. | Alfalfa Fertility Problem Challenge (Intermountain Short Season) | Anowar Islam, University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY |
| B. | Alfalfa Fertility Problem Challenge (Med Season) | Grant Cardon, Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| C. | Alfalfa Fertility Problem Challenge (Long Season) | Tim Hays, Buttonwillow Industries | Buttonwillow, CA; Dan Putnam, University of California, Davis | Davis, CA |
| D. | Cool Season Grass Problem Challenge | Steve Norberg, Washington State University | Pasco, WA |
| E. | Warm Season Grass Problem Challenge | Steve Fransen, Washington State University | Prosser, WA |
| F. | Small Grain Forage Problem Challenge | Mark Lundy, University of California, Davis | Davis, CA |
| 12:15 pm | Lunch | |
| Session III 1:15—3:15 pm | Economics | |
| 1:15 pm | Performance of Public and Private Fertilizer Recommendations | Matt Yost, Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| 1:45 pm | Effects of Soil Fertility on Alfalfa Forage Quality | Steve Norberg, Washington State University | Pasco, WA |
| 2:15 pm | Economics of P and K Applications in Alfalfa | Jon Paul Driver, Washington State University | Usk, WA |
| 2:45 pm | Optimizing Fertilizer Applications in Forage Crops | Tim Hays, Buttonwillow Industries | Buttonwillow, CA |
| 3:15 pm | Break | |
| Session IV 3:30—5:00 pm | Soil Amendments | |
| 3:30 pm | Precipitated Calcium Carbonate as a Lime Amendment | Jared Spackman, University of Idaho | Aberdeen, ID |
| 3:45 pm | Manure and Organic Amendments Best Practices | Abigail Baxter, USDA-ARS | Kimberly, ID |
| 4:15 pm | Saline and Sodic Soil Management | Grant Cardon, Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| 4:45 pm | Issues/Problems from the Audience, Including Questions from the Audience | |
| 5:00—7:00 pm | Symposium Welcome Reception | Hors D’oeuvres and Cocktails, Exhibits, Posters, and CA Alfalfa & Forage Research Auction Bid Shee |
Main Session
| Time | Wednesday, December 13 | Main Session | |
| 6:30—6:00 pm | Registration Open | |
| 6:30—8:00 am | Continental Breakfast | |
| 7:00—7:00 pm | Exhibits Open/Posters on Display/CA Alfalfa & Forage Research Auction Bid Sheets | |
| Session I 8:00– 10:00 am | Economics, Dairy, Trade, and Water Trends | Moderator: Dan Putnam, University of California, Davis |
| 8:00 am | Welcome | Dan Putnam, University of California, Davis | Davis, CA |
| 8:05 am | Hay Industry Economic Trends | Josh Callen, The Hoyt Report | Twin Falls, ID |
| 8:30 am | Hay Export Dynamics | Scot Courtright, Courtright Enterprises, Inc. | Moses Lake, WA |
| 8:55 am | Dynamics of the Western Dairy Situation | Anja Raudabaugh, Western United Dairies | Turlock, CA |
| 9:20 am | New Markets for Alfalfa | Jo Heuschele, USDA-ARS | St. Paul, MN |
| 9:45 am | Discussion | |
| 10:00 am | Break | |
| Session II 10:30—12:00 pm | Irrigation and Water Storage | Moderator: Matt Yost, Utah State University |
| 10:30 am | Dynamics of the Western Water Outlook for 2024 | Jeff Silvertooth, University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ |
| 11:00 am | Intermittent Agricultural Managed Aquifer Recharge (Ag-MAR) on Alfalfa | Khaled Bali, UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center | Parlier, CA |
| 11:30 am | Adjusting Alfalfa to Highly Variable Water Supplies: Deficit Irrigation Strategies | Dan Putnam, University of California, Davis | Davis, CA |
| 11:45 am | Discussion | |
| 12:00 pm | Lunch | |
| Session III 1:30—3:00 pm | Pest Management | Moderator: Leonard Lauirault, New Mexico State University |
| 1:30 pm | Alfalfa Weevils Across the Western United States are Resistant to Multiple Type II Pyrethroid Insecticides | Erika Rodbell, Montana State University |
| 1:50 pm | Update on Low Desert Alfalfa Insects and Their Control | Michael Rethwisch, University of California Cooperative Extension | Blythe, CA |
| 2:10 pm | Rodent Control | Mark Nelson, Utah State University | Beaver, UT |
| 2:30 pm | Use of Drones for Weed Management | Earl Creech, Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| 2:50 pm | Discussion | |
| 3:00 pm | Break | |
| Session IV 3:30—5:00 pm | Forage Quality | Moderator: Jody Gale, Utah State University |
| 3:30 pm | Key Measurements for Forage Quality | Dave Taysom, Dairyland Labs Inc. | Arcadia, WI |
| 3:50 pm | Influence of Fall Dormancy on Alfalfa Quality | Steve Norberg, Washington State University | Pasco, WA |
| 4:10 pm | Combination of Alfalfa & Almond Hulls for Improved Forage Quality | Katie Swanson, University of California | Davis, CA |
| 4:30 pm | Steaming Impacts on Alfalfa Yield Loss and Forage Quality | Earl Creech, Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| 4:50 pm | Discussion | |
| 5:00—7:00 pm | Reception | Hors D’oeuvres and Cocktails, Exhibits, Posters, and CA Alfalfa & Forage Research Auction |
| Thursday, December 14 | Main Session | ||
| 7:00—10:30 am | Registration Open | |
| 7:00—8:00 am | Continental Breakfast | |
| 7:00—10:30 am | Exhibits Open/Posters on Display | |
| Session V 8:00—10:00 am | Soil Health and Fertility, Forage Systems, and Environment | Moderator: Hayes Goosey, Montana State University |
| 8:00 am | Impacts of Soil Wetting Agents and Biologicals on Forage Production | Matt Yost, Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| 8:20 am | Interseeding Cover Crop into Silage Corn Grown on Wide Row Spacings | Steven Hines, University of Idaho | Kimberly, ID |
| 8:40 am | Determining Temporal Changes in Soil Salinity in Forage Fields under Long Term Irrigation with Saline Drainage Water | Sharon Benes, California State University, Fresno | Fresno, CA |
| 9:00 am | Yield, Water Productivity & Nutritional Values Response of Alfalfa to Irrigation frequency & Cutting Schedules in California’s Central Valley | Sultan Begna, USDA-ARS | Parlier, CA |
| 9:20 am | Alfalfa Forage Systems in Pakistan | Qamar Shakil, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad | Punjab, Pakistan |
| 9:40 am | Discussion | |
| 10:00 am | Break | |
| Session VI 10:30—12:00 pm | Agronomic Practices | Moderator: Juan Solomon, University of Nevada, Reno |
| 10:30 am | Planting Configurations and Irrigation Regimes Affect Yield, Quality, and Economic Returns of Alfalfa-grass Mixtures | Anowar Islam, University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY |
| 11:00 am | Alternative Forage Options | Mark Marsalis, New Mexico State University | Los Lunas, NM |
| 11:30 am | Panel: Optimizing Alfalfa Production on My Farm | Growers from Western States Discuss their Keys to Success and Ongoing Challenges |
| 11:50 am | Discussion | |
| 12:00 pm | Adjourn Symposium |
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