The 10th annual Kansas State University Animal Sciences & Industry Family & Friends Reunion is set for Oct. 5 at the Stanley Stout Center on the K-State campus.

The reunion will start at 4 p.m. with a Junior Wildcat Barnyard for young children and a visit by the K-State Marching Band and Willie Wildcat.

The Don L. Good Impact Award will be presented to Dell Allen and his wife, Joyce.

“Dr. Dell Allen has had a distinguished career in the livestock and meat industry. He has been a renowned researcher and meat scientist, a judging team coach, a teacher, an advocate, a mentor and a friend to many people,” says Doug Deets, a former student and current board member for the Livestock and Meat Industry Council (LMIC). The award, presented by the LMIC, is named in honor of Good, who is a former head of the K-State ASI department, and recognizes a positive influence on the livestock and meat industry or agriculture.

The registration deadline is Sept. 27. Register online at asi.ksu.edu/familyandfriends.

Sorghum webinar series covers crop insurance and economic opportunities

National Sorghum Producers will launch a webinar series, “Essentials of Sorghum Crop Insurance, Innovation and Economic Opportunities that Lie Ahead.” The series of three live webinars will cover farm practices, double crop sorghum production, insurance and renewable fuel market opportunities, among other topics. These sessions are aimed at all sorghum producers and stakeholders.

The first webinar, “Building Resilient Systems and the Economic Impact of Double Crop Sorghum,” will be at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 17. The next two sessions are set for Jan. 21 and 28.

Interested participants can register for the webinars at sorghumgrowers.com/webinar.

Learn to compete for farm employees

It’s tough out there competing with other employers for farm labor. One way to become an attractive employer in the community is working on not only how farmers attract potential hires, but also how to retain them.

The Purdue University Extension is offering a series of webinars, “Becoming the Employer of Choice,” a program developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension that helps managers make their small business a competitive one in the labor market.

The hands-on activities and interactive sessions in the seven modules will address different leadership styles, reducing “mis-hires” and turnover, organizational culture and its impact on employee motivation and engagement, effective communication, skills to provide feedback, and addressing conflict.

Each webinar is presented over Zoom and runs from 11 a.m. to noon CT Sept. 17 and 24, and Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29. It costs $40 for all seven sessions or $10 per individual session, and registration can be found at tinyurl.com/BTEOC2024lunchnlearn. Contact Valerie Clingerman at [email protected] or 812-882-3509 with questions.