Agricultural conference kicks off

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MONTE VISTA—The 2018 Southern Rocky Mountain Agricultural Conference kicked off on Tuesday morning. The three-day event will be filled with special presentations and a trade fair. The conference is a special look into the agricultural industry which is the backbone of the Valley’s economy. New presentations and events will be held this year with many of them being free to the public and others by payment and registration. Some presentations are being held downtown at the Vali 3 Theater and others at Ski Hi Park.

Yesterday’s events were made of the all-important potato management seminar. Attendees heard updates from the National Potato Council, CSU and other potato market leaders. The afternoon consisted of a livestock management seminar. There was a calving school in the afternoon.

Today a new event to the conference is being held at the Vali 3 Theater. A symposium for hemp production and marketing is being offered. This is free and open to the public. Attendees will learn history, rules, tips for growing hemp, and have the opportunity to hear a panel on growing, harvesting and marketing hemp.

Also, this morning and throughout the day there will be several presentations on potatoes, small grains, alfalfa and soil health.

At 1:30 p.m. the featured guest speaker for this year’s conference will entertain. Joshua Lozoff a magician will combine his love for the art of magic with his fascination for psychology. Lozoff is known to have very interactive presentations with a demonstrated respect for his audience.

Thursday will offer presentations about the Valley’s vital water resource. There will be updates from the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, the National Weather Service, Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project, the Colorado Division of Water Resources and many others. Attendees will learn about challenges of weather forecasting in Colorado, the state of affairs of water in 2018 and other important information.

Throughout the conference there will also be a trade fair inside of Ski Hi Park. Businesses and organizations will have product demonstration throughout the day.

 


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