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 Penn State Cooperative Extension.

A brief description of upcoming meetings of interest to livestock producers is listed below.

• NW Beef Management Workshop Series.

A series of Wednesday meetings for area beef producers will be held Feb. 9, 16 and 23 at the Wesley Grange, about one mile north of Interstate 80 in Barkeyville. Each of the sessions will start at 7 p.m.

The first session will focus on “Heifer Development and Today’s Costs” and will feature Dr. John Comerford, Penn State beef specialist.

“Gas Exploration and Livestock” will be the topic of the second session conducted by Gary Sheppard, Penn State Extension Marcellus gas team member, and Dana Rizzo, Penn State Extension water quality educator.

The series will conclude with a discussion on “My, She’s a Good Ole Cow” led by Tommy Clark, manager of Mystic Hill Farm.

Registration deadline for the NW Beef Management Workshop series is Feb. 4. The registration fee is $10 per person, per session and includes materials and refreshments.

• Northwest Pennsylvania Grazing Conference.

The 14th annual Northwest Pennsylvania Grazing Conference will be held March 15 at the Tri-County Church in DuBois.

Featured speaker for the conference will be Dr. Temple Grandin, Colorado State University professor of animal sciences. Grandin’s achievements are remarkable because she is autistic. She earned her Ph.D in animal science from the University of Illinois in 1989 and is currently a professor at Colorado State University. She has done extensive work on the design of livestock handling facilities.

Currently, half of the cattle in the U.S. and Canada are handled in equipment she has designed for meat processing plants. Her other professional activities include developing animal welfare guidelines for the meat industry and consulting with McDonalds, Wendy’s International, Burger King and other companies on animal welfare.

Topics she will address at the conference are “The Importance of Improving Cattle Handling Practices” and “Animal Welfare Issues.”

In addition to Grandin’s presentations, there will be breakout sessions on pasture management and grazing.

Registrations are required and include a hot buffet lunch. Registration deadline is March 1.

Registrations postmarked before Feb. 15 are $30 per person. Registrations postmarked after Feb. 15 are $50 per person. Seating is limited, so early registration is encouraged.

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 e-mail ButlerExt@psu.edu.

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