2013 GCA Forage Conference

The 2nd Annual Forage Conference at the Georgia Cattlemen's Convention was held on April 3-4, 2013 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, GA. We teamed up with the Georgia Cattlemen's Association to offer a new learning opportunity in combination with the GCA's annual cattlemen's convention.

Program Details

In keeping with this year’s theme of “Making the Best Better,” the program focused on several key areas of management that can make even the best operation better. First, Dr. Dennis Hancock, Extension Forage Specialist at the University of Georgia, began the program with a mini-“hay school,” which covered key steps to making more and better hay. Then, producers had an opportunity to learn more about new insect and pest issues, including an update on the bermudagrass stem maggot. On Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Curt Lacy, Extension Livestock Economist at the University of Georgia, provided an economic outlook for 2012 and covered some of the new drought insurance products that are on the market. Then, Thursday afternoon’s program kicked off with specialists from Auburn University and the University of Florida who talked about the opportunity to renovate and improve tall fescue, bermudagrass, and bahiagrass pastures.

Below is an outline of the presentations that were made, along with some additional resources for each topic. Click the link to access the slidesets in handout form or to access the supplemental links. All linked documents are in a PDF or Excel file format.