Managing Risk and Thinking Ahead’ drought workshop set for April 26 in Clovis

Managing Risk and Thinking Ahead’ drought workshop set for April 26 in Clovis DATE: 04/19/2017 WRITER: Kristie Garcia, 575-646-4211, kmgarcia@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Caiti Steele, 575-646-4144, caiti@nmsu.edu If you’re a farmer, dairy owner or rancher in Eastern New Mexico or West Texas, you may want to attend the “Managing Risk and Thinking Ahead” workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, in Clovis, New Mexico. The workshop is at the Curry County Events Center Indoor Pavilion, located on the Curry County Fairgrounds at 900 E. Brady Ave. Experts from the New Mexico State University College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences will speak at the workshop. State climatologist Dave DuBois, assistant professor in the NMSU Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, will speak about recent weather events and impacts. From the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Clovis, agronomist Rajan Ghimire, agricultural research scientist Sultan Begna and superintendent and weed specialist Abdel Mesbah will discuss alternative cropping and crop management with limited water. Attendees will discuss challenges related to weather and climate, as well as the resources and research needed to support farm-level decision making. Topics for the workshop include: - Historical climate trends - Short- and medium-range weather forecasts - Drought tools and early warning resources - Forage nutrition and alternative cropping with limited water - U.S. Department of Agriculture programs Experts from the National Drought Mitigation Center, National Weather Service, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Dairy Nutrition and Management Consulting LLC and Farm Service Agency will also give presentations. Presentations will highlight the potential impact of drought and limited water conditions on agriculture in the Southern High Plains in New Mexico and West Texas. Information will also be provided about local and regional resources that are available to help manage and monitor impacts from drought and other severe weather events. The workshop is supported by the National Integrated Drought Information System and the USDA Southwest Climate Hub. “We are very pleased to be able to offer a workshop that covers some important issues facing agricultural producers in the Southern High Plains,” said Caiti Steele, USDA Southwest Climate Hub Deputy Director. “Drought, extreme weather and limited water resources present very real challenges to profitable agricultural production. We want to hear from crop, dairy and livestock producers about what kinds of information and technical support they think will help in their decision-making and risk management.” Registration is free. Breakfast, lunch and snacks will be provided. To register, go to http://swclimatehub.info. For more information contact Caiti Steele at 575-646-4144 or caiti@nmsu.edu. - 30 - Follow NMSU News on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nmsunews Follow NMSU News on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NMSUNews