April 28, 2006 FROM UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI EXTENSION SOUTHWEST REGIONAL NEWS SERVICE Contact: Tom Hansen, agronomy specialist Headquartered in Greene County Tel: (417) 862-9284 E-mail: hansent@missouri.edu Surviving Drought Topic of Special Livestock Programs May 11 in Springfield and Joplin An educational program, “Drought Management Strategies for Livestock Producers,” has been organized by regional specialists with University of Missouri Extension in response to the drought conditions gripping southwest Missouri. The program will be held Thursday, May 11 at the Joplin Regional Stockyards near Carthage, Mo., beginning at 2 p.m., and at the Springfield Livestock Marketing Center near Springfield, Mo. at 7 p.m. Topics to be discussed include cow and calf nutrition and supplementation, emergency pastures and pasture management for dry conditions, beef market outlook, prospects for emergency assistance, weather patterns and the possibility of continued dry conditions. Speakers already on the program agenda include Monty Kerley, professor of animal science at the University of Missouri; Robert Kallenbach, associate professor of agronomy, University of Missouri; Ron Plain, professor of agricultural economics at the University of Missouri; and Jim Kyle, regional director of Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Gene Hatch, a meteorologist from the Springfield location of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For more information, contact any of the MU Extension livestock specialists in southwest Missouri: Eldon Cole in Mt. Vernon, (417) 466-3102; Gary Naylor in Dallas County, (417) 345-7551; and Dona Funk in Cedar County, (417) 276-3313, agronomy specialist Tom Hansen at (417) 862-9284 or your local MU Extension Center. University of Missouri Extension is your one-stop source for practical education on almost anything. Extension programs focus on the high-priority needs of people throughout the state. Each county extension center, with oversight by locally elected and appointed citizens, is your local link to these unbiased resources and programs. ###