July 30, 2007

FARWELL -- Crop producers, cattle raisers and grass farmers who are interested in alfalfa should mark Aug. 9 on their calendars. That is the date for a regional alfalfa workshop in Farwell, sponsored by Texas Cooperative Extension and New Mexico State University.

"We will cover a wide variety of production topics, from variety selection, fertility and irrigation to weed control, entomology and forage quality," said Calvin Trostle, Extension agronomist based at the Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Lubbock. "We will also visit a nearby alfalfa field."

The workshop will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. Central Time at the Farwell Community Center, 207 Ninth St., two blocks south of U.S. Highway 84.

The program will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lunch is included with registration.

Trostle will present an overview of alfalfa production, followed by a session on weed control. Leonard Lauriault, New Mexico State, will discuss variety selection and the university's alfalfa testing program. Monti Vandiver, Extension integrated pest management agent, will provide an insect and pest update.

Registration costs $20 per person and includes lunch and an alfalfa crop book containing Extension, New Mexico State and National Alfalfa Alliance information.

Those who plan to attend are encouraged to pre-register by Aug. 7, by calling the Extension office in Parmer County at 806-481-3619. Participants will qualify for continuing education units approved for Texas and New Mexico.

For more information, contact Trostle at 806-746-6101; Mark Marsalis, New Mexico State agronimist in Clovis, at 505-985-2292; or the Extension office in Parmer County.