Nation's Leading Ag Educational Conference Is Headed To Baton Rouge In 2019


Precision Ag Conference and the Delta States Irri- gation Conference are headed to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Sponsored by Cotton Incorporated, US Rice Pro-


T


ducers Association and a production of MidAmer- ica Farm Publications, the event is scheduled for January 31-February 1, 2019 at the Crowne Plaza, Baton Rouge, LA. Producers mark your calendar for January 30-


February 1, 2019 for what will be the most impor- tant conference to attend in 2019 if you want to increase your yields and cut your costs. "This con- ference has the reputation as being the number one place where all producers can learn the latest production methods and techniques being utilized by the leading ag producers, researchers and the ag industry in the United States," said John LaRose, Chairman of Conference Steering Com- mittee. The conference is fast becoming the leading


he 22th Annual National Conservation Sys- tems Cotton & Rice Conference, the Southern Corn & Soybean Conference, the Southern


source for Certified Crop Consultants to earn Con- tinuing Education Credits (CEU's). The 2018 con- ference was approved for 68 hours of CEU's by the Certified Crop Advisors Association. It is expected that similar CEU's will be offered in the 2019 con- ference. Academic Partners are: University of Arkansas,


Mississippi State University, University of Mis- souri, University of Tennessee, LSU AgCenter, Auburn University and Texas A&M. Technical Partners are USDA-ARS centers in Oxford, MS, Stoneville, MS and Auburn, AL. Find registration and full details as they become finalized by visiting www.mafg.net .


∆


will be hosting a Winter Pro- duction meeting. This meeting will be held at Lone Oaks Farm –10000 Lake Hardeman


J T


he LSU AgCenter will kick off a free yearlong training program for be- ginning Louisiana farmers in Jan-


uary in New Orleans. Beginning farmers may apply for the


program, called Grow Louisiana, through Dec. 14 at www.surveymon- key.com/r/ApplyGrowLA2019. A be- ginning farmer is defined as someone


Winter Production Meeting SOMERVILLE, TENN.


anuary 22, 2019: The Fayette and Hardeman County Extension Offices


Rd. Middleton, TN 38052 starting at 10:00 a.m. The fol- lowing specialists will be speaking at this meeting: Dr. Tyson Raper, UT Cotton Spe- cialist, Dr. Larry Steckel, UT Weed Specialist, and Dr. Scott Stewart, UT Entomologist .


Following the speakers a lunch will be provided. For more information, contact Jeff Via


at (901) 465-


5233/jvia@utk.edu or Josh German at


2421/josmgerm@utk.edu. ∆ (731) 658-


Grow Louisiana Training For Beginning Farmers Starts In January In New Orleans BATON ROUGE, LA.


who is currently farming with less than 10 years of experience or who wants to start farming. Grow Louisiana provides whole-farm


planning, horticulture and business training, online resources, support and mentoring. Its overall goal is increasing the success of agricultural communi- ties by building a statewide network of farmers and providing business tools


and educational resources to new farm- ers. In 2019, the program will be held in


New Orleans every Tuesday evening for three hours, starting Jan. 15. Classes will continue for eight weeks in the spring followed by eight weeks in the fall. Participants are expected to attend 15


of the 17 night classroom sessions plus field days and other program activities. Participation is free, and travel to the annual Southern Sustainable Agricul-


ture Working Group Convention is in- cluded. This program is funded by a U.S. De-


reached


partment of Agriculture Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Pro- gram training grant. It is led by the Ag- Center in collaboration with the Acadiana Food Alliance, Market Um- brella and SPROUT NOLA. Organizers of the program can be at


growlouisianaBFRDP@gmail.com or 225-578-1036.


Ky. Agricultural Receipts CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8


dark tobaccos in 2019. Mostly favorable growing conditions


for produce gave fruit and vegetable growers an opportunity to expand their markets beyond the state’s borders. In 2018, Kentucky sales reached $48 mil- lion, which was slightly lower than 2017. Farmers markets and other di- rect-to-consumer sales comprised nearly half of total receipts. “Kentucky fruit and vegetable pro-


ducers were able to capitalize on mar- ket shortages in 2017, but prices have since returned to regional averages. This is why incomes slightly decreased this year,” said Tim Woods, UK agricul- tural economist. “Consumer spending increased sharply in 2018 but is ex- pected to drop in 2019.” The forestry market remained stable


in 2018 and contributed $13.2 billion to Kentucky’s economy. Prices for white oak stave logs, used to make barrels, and railway tie logs are up and pro- jected to continue their upward trend in 2019. Declines in housing starts will likely lower the demand for oak, hick- ory and yellow-poplar in 2019. Rapid log exports to China flattened in 2018, which decreased demand for black wal- nut, oak and ash in the third and fourth quarters. “Downward pressure on log prices for


red oak and ash due to tariffs and the sluggishness of China’s economy have been countered by wet weather, keep- ing log inventories low and prices sta- bilized. It will be early spring before we


14• MidAmerica Farmer Grower / December 7, 2018


see which of these countering forces prevail,” said Jeff Stringer, chair and professor in the UK Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. The national agriculture economy


continues to struggle. In August, the USDA projected net farm income to total $65.7 billion in 2018, which is a 13 percent decline from 2017 levels and when adjusted for inflation, the second lowest since 2002. The USDA will up- date its 2018 forecast on Nov. 30, which will reflect changes in prices and yields since August, along with the por- tion of government trade assistance programs paid in 2018. During the 2018 fiscal year, U.S. agri-


cultural exports increased 2 percent with corn and meat exports both in- creasing and helping to offset fewer soybean exports. Canada replaced China as the leading destination for U.S. agriculture exports. In 2019, ex- port growth is expected to stall because of a slowing global economy and antic- ipated higher U.S. dollar, but will de- pend greatly on trade policy outcomes. Without a major supply shock, prices


for most agricultural commodities will likely remain relatively low in 2019 in response to abundant global grain sup- plies, growing meat supplies and un- certain trade environment.


Department of Agricultural Economics website


http://www.uky.edu/ag/agecon/pubs /ext2018-19_Outlook32.pdf.


For the entire outlook, visit the UK at ∆


∆


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24