Grapes and Fed Cattle

Speakers Bring Expertise to Fruit Growing Workshop

Franklin County Extension is holding an educational workshop on selecting cultivars of fruit trees, small fruits, and grapes for northern Iowa, Saturday, March 28, at the Franklin Farm Bureau Office in Hampton. General care, such as: planting, pruning, pest control, and harvesting will presented by graduate students and staff from the Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University. Barb Ristau, Franklin County Extension Families Program Assistant will demonstrate how to preserve harvested fruits.

Cost is $10.00 per person, $15.00 per couple. Please pre-register by calling the Franklin County Extension Office at 641-456-4811 or go on-line at www.extension.iastate.edu/franklin The workshop is approved for Master Gardener recertification training hours. Participants are asked to come dressed for an outdoor demonstration of pruning. The program will run from 8:30 -11:30 a.m.

Two of the speakers featured are Lee Goldsmith, who will be demonstrating proper pruning techniques and Dennis Portz, discussing fruit tree and plant care, pest control and harvesting.

Goldsmith received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology, with an emphasis on Ecology and Systematics, from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). While at UNI, she also studied the anatomical development of the Vitaceae (grapes) and plant biology. Currently, she is in her second year of graduate study, in horticulture, at Iowa State University (ISU) where she continues to pursue studies in viticulture. Other functions that Lee has held have involved public events and programming. At ISU, she has been employed as a Master Gardeners program aid, leading greenhouse tours at ISU’s Horticulture greenhouse and conservatory. She has also written and implemented public programs as a conservation educator.

Portz, an Agriculture Specialist in the area of small fruit, specifically grapes, at the ISU Horticulture Research and Demonstration Station near Ames, IA.

Portz received his Bachelor of Science degree in 2004 double majoring in Horticulture and Plant Health and Protection while working as a student in the departments of horticulture, entomology, and plant pathology. He then received his Master of Science degree in horticulture from Iowa State University in 2008. Dennis’s graduate research primarily focused on using cover crops as a rotation with strawberry, while completing a secondary study looking at the effects of replant disorder in grape when rotated with different weed management techniques. Dennis was recently hired on as an Agriculture Specialist in the area of viticulture and small fruit at the Iowa State University Horticulture Research and Demonstration Station in July 2008. Dennis will be assisting with viticulture research projects in the vineyards at the four ISU farms around Iowa and will be stationed in Ames. In addition, Dennis will be co-teaching the “Understanding Grape and Wine Science” course offered in collaboration between the Horticulture and Food Science and Human Nutrition departments this spring open to all ISU students interested in learning more about viticulture and enology, including the new Iowa industry.

Fed Cattle Margin Manager Workshop to be held in Charles City

Contact: Russ Euken, Extension Livestock Specialist, Hancock County Extension, Garner, IA (641)-923-2856

A workshop that will simulate using available tools to manage the price risk of corn, feeder cattle and fed cattle will be held on Wednesday, March 11 from 9:45 am – 3:15 pm in Charles City at the NIACC center. Participants in the workshop will use computers to make pricing decisions through a set time period with the focus on trying to maximize the margin between the inputs of feeder cattle and corn and revenue of fed cattle.

Participant’s pricing decisions will be tracked and their strategies compared at the end of the workshop. Discussion on use of the risk management tools such as options, futures, insurance will also be included during the workshop. Shane Ellis, Extension Economist and Russ Euken, Extension Livestock Specialist will lead the workshop.

The workshop is sponsored by ISU Extension. Those wishing to participate need to register on or before Monday, March 9 by calling the Mitchell County Extension office at 641-732-5574, Floyd County Extension office at 641-228-1453 or Russ Euken at 641-923-2856. 10 participants are needed to conduct the workshop. There will be a $10 per person charge for the workshop payable at the door. Meals cost is not included and will be paid separately. 

picture of cows by iLoveButter at flickr.com