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

March 11, 1999

Agri-Builders and Equipment Seminar Set for Brookings, March 17-18

A look at the future of production agriculture and sessions on grain handling and storage and livestock waste management will highlight the annual meeting of the Minnkota Agri-Builders and Equipment Association in Brookings, S.D., March 17-18.

The meeting and seminar are open to the public and will be held at the Brookings Inn. For more information or to preregister, contact Steve Pohl, agricultural engineer, South Dakota State University, at (605) 688- 5662. Registration for the full two-day meeting is $60, and partial registration is also offered.

The seminar begins at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17, with an in-depth look at the future direction of production agriculture by Gene Murra, SDSU professor emeritus of agricultural economics.

Two concurrent sessions convene at 2 p.m. A session on grain drying, handling and storage will include information on considerations in grain handling facilities planning, dryer selection, fan selection, and aeration system and storage management. Agricultural engineers Bill Wilcke of the University of Minnesota and Ken Hellevang from North Dakota State University are presenters.

A second session will focus on environmental concerns facing livestock producers. Advisory committee member Pat Henderson will discuss Minnesota's Generic Environmental Impact Statement process. Carl Lucero, Natural Resources Conservation Service liaison to the Environmental Protection Agency, will outline regulations for livestock and poultry operations. Iowa State University agricultural engineer Jeff Lorimar will discuss Iowa livestock operations where odor-reducing practices are being demonstrated. And University of Minnesota agricultural engineer Larry Jacobsen will discuss Minnesota's odor ratings system and its use in establishing setback requirements.

On Thursday, March 18, sessions will focus on new building materials for agricultural structures and the Y2K problem's possible effect on farmsteads and farm businesses. There will also be research presentations on ventilation system controllers and their effect on mitigation of livestock waste odors. Formal sessions will conclude at noon. Afternoon tours include a new 1200-cow dairy with manure flushing system and a 2,000-head beef confinement facility with deep pack manure handling system.

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Source: Ken Hellevang (701) 231-7243

Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629