There is still time to register for the 11th Northwest Pennsylvania Grazing Conference to be held March 4 at the Tri County Church of God in DuBois.

This year's speaker's agenda promises to be one of the best ever. Speakers who have both national and regional reputations along with speakers from northwest and central Pennsylvania will be on hand to share their experience and expertise on how to utilize grass based grazing systems to improve pasture productivity, livestock production and soil quality.

One of the featured speakers isRalph Quillen from Paris, Ken., who is the founder of Kentucky Graziers. Quillen will speak on "The Grazing Mindset" and "Livestock Watering Systems."

Troy Bishop, a beef producer from Morrisville, N.Y., will talk about "The Value of Grass Based Agriculture," and "Contract Grazing on Abandoned Land."

Michael Wright, a livestock producer from Warren County, will discuss how he uses a form of nomadic grazing to restore and preserve farmland as well as supply the forage base for his multispecies direct marketing operation.

Other topics to be covered include using "Switchgrass as a Biofuel," "Behavior Based Grazing Management," "Composted Bedded Pack Livestock Barns," "Addressing Environmental Concerns on Small Horse Operations," "Marketing Agricultural Products," and "Maintaining Herd Health on Pasture."

One of the things that this year's speakers have in common is that they all endorse or practice using grass based agriculture as a means to a profitable agricultural operation.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. The conference starts at 9:15 a.m. This year's conference is still only $20 and includes a hot buffet lunch.

Conference sponsors include Dean Dairy Products, S&TBank, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians, the PA Grazing/Forage Lands Conservation Coalition and the Northeast SARE Speakers Program.

Brochures and conference information can be obtained by calling Headwaters RC&D at 814-375-1372, Ext. 4, your local county office of the USDA, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Penn State Cooperative Extension or the Butler County Conservation District.

The Tri County Church of God is located on Route 255, 1.3 miles north of Exit 101 on Interstate 80.