The regional 2020 Winter Forage Conference will be held Jan. 21 in Wytheville, Virginia. The 2020 theme will be “Thinking Strategically: The Role of Hay in Today’s Grazing System.” The keynote speakers will be:

Kevin Yon. Yon Family Farms of Ridge Spring, South Carolina is a family-owned operation consisting of Kevin and Lydia Yon and their three children, who all work fulltime on the farm. The Yons started their own Angus operation in 1996 with 100 head of Angus females. They’ve since grown to 1,200 head of registered brood cows and 590 commercial cows, utilizing over 4,000 acres of pasture and harvested forages. The Yons host spring and fall production sales where they sell around 400 registered bulls and 200 females each year. The Yons also retain ownership on commercial steers and heifers each year in a KS feedlot, where the cattle are sold on a value-based grid. The Yons stress the importance of utilizing all the tools available. Their operation is forage-based and focuses on producing cattle for a customer base of mainly commercial cattlemen.

Dr. Dan Undersander is professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin. He is widely known as a definitive expert on a variety of forage topics, including making quality baleage & silage, management of intensively grazed pastures, alfalfa management, hay making and hay equipment, and harvest management of small grain forages. Dr. Undersander has spent over 40 years focused on intensively managed beef and dairy operations in the Midwest and across the nation. Join us for this rare opportunity to learn from one of the best in the forage world. Go to https://vaforages.org/2020-winter-forage-conferences/ for more information and to register.