Dairy graziers and dairy grazing enthusiasts from several states will be gathering in October to share and increase their knowledge about pasture-based and organic dairy production systems. The eighth Mid-Atlantic Dairy Grazing Conference and Organic Dairy Field Day is based in Wytheville in southwestern Virginia where Interstates 77 and 81 meet. The event begins at the Wytheville Meeting Center on Monday, Oct. 11 at 3 p.m. and concludes on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 2:15 p.m.

To help manure handlers adopt new technologies and best management practices, Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences will host the 2010 Manure Expo, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 15 at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs. This annual event has been held for eight years, previously in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio and Iowa. Pennsylvania will host it for the first time this year, attracting a new audience from the Northeast. The expo’s theme, “Balancing Production and Conservation,” addresses how manure handlers must navigate federal, state and local regulations, public perceptions and scrutiny, and economic pressures, while trying to make the most of an important natural resource, said Expo Coordinator Robert Meinen, senior extension associate for Penn State Cooperative Extension.

Dairy Producers of New Mexico (DPNM) held its 2010 Annual Convention/Trade Show and Golf Tournament a few weeks ago in Ruidoso, New Mexico. DPNM is a grassroots trade association for dairy producers in New Mexico and West Texas. DPNM has been having an annual trade show and golf tournament since 1990.