UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Taking a page from a hugely popular television show, Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences invites livestock producers to take part in "CSI: Rock Springs" at Ag Progress Days, Aug. 14-16.

In each of the CSI television episodes, crime-scene investigators are faced with a mystery that they solve by carefully collecting and considering evidence found at the scene of the crime. Farmers could learn a lot from that kind or organized, detail-oriented approach, believes Brad Hilty, senior extension associate in dairy and animal science, who is a coordinator of CSI: Rock Springs.

"Farmers regularly confront mysterious situations, such as, say, an animal coming up lame, and how they respond can have serious implications for their operations," he says. "Using that example, they need to decide whether it was just an isolated incident or if there is some sort of disease present that could threaten their entire herd.

"At CSI: Rock Springs, we are going to try to involve the people in the audience as we go through the deduction process, ask them what they would do if they were confronted with certain scenarios, teach them what they should look for and help them draw the appropriate conclusions,"Hilty adds. "We think this approach will make for an interesting and entertaining way to address serious problems that farmers often face."

CSI: Rock Springs will focus on "The Case of the Limping Critters." Daily programs feature "crime scenes," involving lameness in cattle, horses and companion animals. The program will feature an interactive tour of the "crime" scenes with an interview; an "investigation," which includes searching for physical "evidence" on the farm; and a "laboratory," which will involve diagnostics and drawing a conclusion.

The following schedule has been set for CSI: Rock Springs: Tuesday -- 11 a.m., horses; noon, companion animals; and 1 p.m., cattle. Wednesday -- 10 a.m., cattle; 11 a.m., horses; noon, companion animals; and 1 p.m., cattle. Thursday -- 10 a.m., cattle; 11 a.m., horses; and noon, companion animals.

CSI: Rock Springs will take place in the Animal Sciences area off West 10th Street. Faculty specialists from the departments of dairy and animal science and veterinary and biomedical sciences will be involved in the program.

Penn State's Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 14; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 15; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 16. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit the Ag Progress Days Web site at http://apd.cas.psu.edu.

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EDITORS: Contact Brad Hilty at 814-863-3917 or by e-mail at bjh19@psu.edu.

Jeff Mulhollem Writer/Editor 814-863-2719 jjm29@psu.edu