Southeast research farm annual meeting is Jan. 30

Perspectives on South Dakota climate, use of biofilters to eliminate livestock odor, and highlights of 2006 crop and livestock research projects will be topics at this year's annual meeting at Southeast Research Farm, set for Jan. 30.

The program begins at 1 p.m. at Southeast Research Farm, 29974 University Road, six miles west and three miles south of Beresford.

South Dakota State University Extension State Climatologist Dennis Todey will summarize climatic patterns and their effects on South Dakota agriculture. Extension farm machinery and safety specialist Dick Nicolai will show how biofilters effectively control odor from pigs raised in a confinement barn at Southeast Farm.

Extension beef feedlot specialist Erik Loe will give an update on how corn processing affects beef cattle performance. Brad Rops, research assistant at Southeast Farm, will tell how Paylean and changing nighttime temperatures affect grow/finish swine production.

Professor and Southeast Research Farm Manager Robert Berg will summarize this year's crop research, including several tillage and crop rotation trials; various seed corn technologies; and production of alternative cool-season crops like field pea, winter wheat, and camelina.

The day will wrap up with county meetings at 3:30 p.m. Elections will be held for the following director positions during the county meeting: Ira Kaul, Lincoln County; Jed Olbertson, Lincoln County; Craig Jepsen, Yankton County; Alvin Novak, Yankton County; Al Shade, Turner County; Al Miron, Minnehaha County.

For more information about the annual meeting of the Southeast South Dakota Experiment Farm Corp., contact Southeast Research Farm by phone at (605) 563-2989, or by e-mail at se.farms@sdstate.edu.