NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

January 28, 1999

NDSU Efforts To Be Highlighted at Sustainable Ag Conference Feb. 5-7 in Bismarck

The 20^th annual Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society Winter Conference will be held Friday, Feb. 5, to Sunday, Feb. 7, at the Doublewood Inn in Bismarck.

Conference registration opens at 8:15 a.m. on Friday. The 9 a.m. opening session features Walsh County Extension Agent Brad Brummond who will discuss the transition from conventional production to an organic system and how having a mentor can make the transition easier.

Other NDSU experts on the agenda include:

• Soil scientist Larry Cihacek who will discuss how to evaluate soil.
• Area extension cropping systems specialist Greg Endres who will talk about identifying pesticide and fertilizer contamination due to spray drift and accidents.
• Ag historian and folklorist Tom Isern who will discuss cooking with native foods.
• Communications specialist Becky Koch who will discuss advertising, marketing and generating publicity for your farm.

Keynote speakers for the conference are Raoul Robinson and John Ikerd. Robinson is a plant pathologist who has worked extensively in third-world countries and is the author of "Return to Resistance" about breeding crops for pest resistance and "Self Organizing Crop Improvment" a book which will be the focus of his talks. The book discusses why the time is right for farmers to become seed savers and breeders.

Ikerd is the coordinator of the Sustainable Agriculture Systems Program at the University of Missouri. His talk will focus on the link between sustainable agriculture and sustainable rural communities.

Other conference sessions include a farmer panel discussion on weed control, marketing options for livestock and how to talk to your banker about sustainable agriculture.

For more information on the conference agenda and registration charges contact Theresa Podoll, executive director of the Norther Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society, at (701) 833-4304. Registrations will be taken at the door.

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Source: Theresa Podoll (701) 883-4304

Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629