Winter weather got you down? Need a change of scenery? Why not plan to take a break from the daily routine and visit some of Ohio's best dairy herds.

The Dairy Profitability Tour, scheduled for March 16, is a great opportunity to visit successful dairy producers in eastern Ohio.

Tour highlights include stops the Lora Dairy Farm, Paradise Valley Farms, the Grammer Dairy Farm, and Witmer's Feed and Grain.

The Lora Dairy Farm is a family farm with a 40 cow registered Holstein herd and a rolling herd average of 25,000 pounds of milk.

Paradise Valley Farms has a 385 cow registered Holstein herd with a current rolling herd average of 29,634 pounds of milk. In addition, Paradise Valley Farms has 15 bulls that are being sampled by AI organizations and they sell 100 to 120 bulls annually for herd sires.

The Grammer Dairy Farm is a recently expanded family farm that is milking 500 head of high producing registered Jersey cows.

Witmer's is a feed mill, grain elevator, and fertilizer blending plant that manufactures and delivers feed to Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.

The tour bus will stop at several locations convenient to Butler County participants beginning at 8:15 a.m.

Reservations for the tour are being accepted and are $10 per person.

Seating is limited and reservations will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis. Reservation deadline is Friday.

For additional information or to make reservations, contact Rodger Keith at the Butler County Extension Office at 724-287-4761.

An intensive, one day conference focusing on the latest research and topics of interest to turf, lawn care and landscape professionals is planned for March 22. The conference will be held at Allegheny College in Meadville beginning at 8 a.m. and adjourning at 3 p.m.This program is specifically designed for athletic field managers, golf course superintendents, lawn care professionals, landscape and nursery professions, and municipal park professionals. In addition to general sessions for all participants, the conference offers topics specific to athletic fields, turf management, and ornamentals. Pesticide update credits are available for categories 6, 7, 18, and 23.In addition, more than 40 commercial exhibitors will display turf equipment, products, and services.Registration is $30 per person and is due by March 15.For a copy of the brochure and registration information, contact the Butler County Extension Office at 724-287-4761.