With March almost upon us and spring right around the corner, area winter meetings are ending but you still have time to register for several meetings close to home.

Crops conference

- Penn State Cooperative Extension will be hosting their crops conference at the Atrium in Franklin Township 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

This is a great opportunity to earn 2+2 pesticide credits. The cost is $20 and you can visit https://extension.psu.edu/crops-conferences or call 724-287-4761 to register.

Soil health conference

The Western PA Regional Soil Health conference will be held on March 7 at the Atrium.

Speakers include Jim Hoorman from Natural Resources Conservation Service, John Tooker from Penn State and Lancaster County farmer Steve Groff.

Doors open at 9 a.m. and includes light refreshments. The event will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and feature a buffet style lunch.

To register or for more information, contact Emily Wise at the Allegheny County Conservation District 412-241-7645 or visit ACCDPA.org; the cost is $25.

Spring Grazing Conference

Finally, Headwater's RC&D will be hosting the annual Western PA Spring Grazing Conference.

It will feature Fred Provenza; a professor emeritus of Utah State University, and a pioneer in understanding forage behavior and how behavior links soils and plants with herbivores and humans.

The two-day conference will be held March 13 and 14 at the Trinity Point Church of God, located just south of Interstate 80, Clarion exit 62.

Provenza is an accomplished professor, researcher, author and rancher. He has spoken at more than 325 international meetings and has authored or co-authored 250 publications.

He will lead discussions on the connections of behavior and the health of soil, plants, herbivores, and humans. Informative sessions will be offered not only for beef farmers, but for equine and dairy farmers as well.

Breakout sessions include the following:

- Managing Soil Fertility in Pastures & Hayfields

- Grazing Management to Balance Animal Feed Demand & Pasture Forage Supply (Ed Rayburn)

- Grazing Management for Equine Farms

- Links Between Sugars, Starches & Equine Laminitis (Laura Kenny)

- Dairy Grazing — Perennial & Annual Plants (Dave Hunsberger)

- Grass Fed Meat — Improving Locally — Farmers

- Soil & Consumer Health (Junia Isiminger)

- Regenerative Management Using Diverse Native Species & Tall Grass Grazing

- Finding Solutions to Annoying Problems (Russ Wilson)

- Soil Health in Grazing Systems (Bob Hendershot)

- Why Grass Fed Makes Sense

- The Medical Reason Grass Fed Beef is Healthier (Ron Gargasz)

- Winter Grazing & Soil Impacts (George Lake).

- There will also be a farmer panel with Chris Leiden, AJ O'Neil, Bob Whittaker, in addition to the speaker panel.

Registration required by March 6. Cost is $85 for both days and an evening session or $45 for one day only. (Continental breakfast and lunch are included).

The bonus evening session with Provenza on March 13 costs $20.

To register or for more information, call Headwaters RC&D at 814-503-8653, send email to info@headwaterspa.org or visit www.headwaterspa.org.

Andy Gaver is a conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Butler County.