Armon D. Hetzel Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Professional Services Veterinarian Animart, Inc.

Jim Henry Dakota Dunes, South Dakota Silage Specialist Mycogen Seeds

Colten Green Modesto, California Reproductive Specialist Genex Cooperative, Inc.

Western United Dairymen's annual convention will be held March 16-18 at the Marriott in Visalia, California. The three-day gathering will feature experts in environmental, legislative and regulatory issues of interest to the California dairy industry.

Minnesota Milk Producers Association is offering a webinar to its producer and associate members. “Defining an Orientation Program for New Employees” is planned for March 8 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST. It will be led by Felix Soriano, APN Consulting, LLC.

FFA chapters in seven states began efforts to make new and stronger connections with their local farmers and earn their share of more than $225,000 in incentives provided by Monsanto. The 2011 FFA Chapter Challenge encourages members of FFA chapters in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Georgia and Alabama to reach out to their community’s farmers, learn about their operations, engage them and bond them with FFA. Confirmation of each participating chapter’s connection with local farmers must be registered by farmers online or by calling the National FFA Organization at (800) 293-2387.

Alternative scenarios for international agricultural supply and demand in the future, and country-specific insights will be examined during the Global Ag Economic Forum, the kick-off session for the third annual Ag Innovation Showcase, May 23-24, at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri, the largest independent plant science research institute in the world.

On Feb. 28, the Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium recorded the state’s millionth Radio Frequency Identification Number (RFID), a milestone in Wisconsin animal identification. RFID, also known as electronic ID, is an ear tag that has a unique number, which can be read both visibly and electronically.

DAIReXNET and the National Association of County Agricultural Agents is hosting a webinar titled “How Low Can We Go: Nitrogen In Dairy Rations.” The webinar is free to the public and is geared toward bringing pertinent information to extension educators, allied industry professionals, veterinarians and dairy producers across the U.S.

Join the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (DCHA) on Thursday, March 10, or Friday, March 11, as Mike Apley, DVM, PhD, Kansas State University, one of the world's foremost experts on antibiotic use in cattle, talks about the realities of residues in bob veal calves and the issues related to resistance to antibiotics that may develop due to our use in calves.