The winter months are a good time of year to take a break from the chores to attend one of the many educational programs offered by the Penn State Cooperative Extension.

A brief description of several upcoming meetings is listed below.

• NW Beef Management Workshop Series — A series of meetings for area beef producers will be held Feb. 11, 18 and 25 at the Wesley Grange, about one mile north of Interstate 80 in Barkeyville. Each of the three sessions will begin at 7 p.m.

The first session will focus on the animal welfare and the beef industry's image and will feature Willard Lemaster, director of the Center for Beef Excellence. Crossbreeding cattle will be the topic of the second session conducted by Scott P. Greiner, extension beef specialist from Virginia Tech. The series will conclude with a discussion on the state of the beef industry led by Dan Kniffen from Penn State University.

The registration deadline for the NW Beef Management Workshop Series is Feb. 5. The registration fee is $10 per person per session and includes materials and refreshments.

• Butler County Crops Day — The annual Crops Day program will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 10 at the East Butler Fire Hall. The program will provide two core and two category 01 credits toward pesticide license recertification.

Topics covered will be a corn and soybean insect update, crow and bird damage in corn, and pesticide safety by speakers Dr. John Tooker, Penn State entomology specialist; Craig Swope, USDA Wildlife Services;,and Kevin Fry, Armstrong County Extension educator.

Registrations are required. Deadline is Feb. 5. The registration fee of $5 per person includes lunch and program materials.

• The "2 + 2 Series," Pesticide Credit Update Meetings — A series of three evening meetings will be offered for pesticide license recertification.

Sessions will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Butler County Extension Office. Dates and topics include: Feb. 8, seed technology and container recycling; Feb. 10, slugs and mixing and loading pesticides; and Feb. 23, soybean applications tank mixing and exposure and PPE.

There is a registration fee of $5 per person per session. Pre-registration is required. Due to meeting room space limitations, registration for each session is limited to the first 40 paid registrants.

For a copy of the brochure and registration form for any of these educational opportunities, contact the Butler County Extension office at 724-287-4761, Ext. 222 or send e-mail to ButlerExt@psu.edu.

This material is submitted by Donna Zang, extension director, and the staff of the Penn State Extension office at the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center complex.