UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The growing national quest to generate ethanol has expanded from corn to include cellulosic sources such as alfalfa, switchgrass and other forages, and that has many agricultural producers looking to learn more about growing ethanol feedstocks.

A joint national conference on pasture land and animal feed – sponsored by the American Forage and Grassland Council, the Northeastern Branch of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America, will bring together nationally renowned researchers in pasture and forage production with the agricultural producers whose livestock graze on the grasses. Hosted by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, the conference will take place June 24-26 at the University Park campus.

Researchers will present the latest scientific research on production of ethanol from alfalfa, hay and other forage plants. According to Marvin Hall, the Penn State professor of forage management who is coordinating the conference, Tuesday, June 26, has been designated “Producers Day,” when farmers can rub shoulders with some of the nation’s top ethanol scientists.

“When you can get producers sitting in on a scientific session, it forces the scientists to present the research so a lay audience can understand it,” he says. “And when the farmers understand it, they start asking questions and offering feedback. The interaction really is an educational experience for both groups of people."

The conference will include sessions on the new farm bill, biofuels, the future of hay genetics, marketing grass-fed beef and nontraditional markets. Another session will answer the question, “What’s Up with Organics?”

“The organic market has really taken off,” Hall says, “and organic dairies can’t produce enough organic milk to meet market demand -- there’s almost a dollar-per-gallon premium for organic over regular milk. So producers have to look objectively at how they can transition into organics, what it takes and what the rules are. All your animals have to eat organic products, but how do you grow crops without pesticides? A lot of people want to jump right in and they can get in over their heads pretty quickly if they don’t know everything that goes into it.”

Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff will present the conference welcome on Monday, June 25, and Tom Richards, director of Penn State’s Biomass Energy Center, will present the conference keynote address on “Biofuels: Agriculture’s Ticket to the Head of the Table.” Forage growers and other producers unable to attend the entire conference can attend the special Producers Day on Tuesday, June 26, for a reduced registration fee.

The $300 registration fee covers tuition, breaks, reception and banquet. Registration for Producers Day only on June 26 is $70. Registration information is available on the Web at www.AFGC.org or from the American Forage and Grassland council at 630-941-3240. Walk-in registrations will be accepted as space permits.

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Gary Abdullah 814-863-2708 gxa2 @psu.edu