Event date: Weds., March 21 in Bath Township
Lansing, Mich. (March 19, 2018) – The Michigan Wheat Program’s Annual Winter Grower Meeting will have a variety of story opportunities for reporters at its one-day session this Wednesday, March 21, at the Eagle Eye Golf Course, 15500 Chandler Rd., Bath Township. The meeting is set for 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Topics to be presented include:
- Welcome by David Milligan, chairman of the Michigan Wheat Program and treasurer of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) board of directors.
- Two high-management wheat talks by keynote presenter Peter Johnson, recently retired provincial cereal specialist from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Johnson is a farmer in Canada, co-founder of the Great Lakes Wheat Workers Group and past-chair and treasurer of the Ontario Cereal Crop Committee.
- Another international-themed presentation is a “top five” discussion led by two Michigan wheat farmers and MSU’s wheat specialist, Dennis Pennington, all of whom attended an agricultural tour of Germany last year. Co-presenters Mike Milligan of Cass City and Jeff Krohn of Elkton, met with German farmers, agribusiness representatives and university officials to learn how the Germans can produce 175 bushels of wheat per acre.
- Travelling from Washington, DC, presenter Kyle Varner of the US Senate Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committee, will talk about expectations for the 2018 Farm Bill.
- Dennis Pennington will conduct his annual survey of wheat grower needs and highlight expectations for the 2018 wheat crop.
- Pennington and MSU wheat educator Martin Nagelkirk will talk about new resources and information available to growers this year.
- A presentation by Michigan Wheat Program executive director Jody Pollok-Newsom will describe the program’s focus for 2018.
In addition, the Annual Winter Grower Meeting will have a small trade show with nearly 20 vendors expected.
Media interested in attending all or part of the Winter Grower Meeting should contact Jody Pollok-Newsom, MWP executive director, at (517) 490-0280.
The Michigan Wheat Program is funded by nearly 8,000 farmers who grow wheat in 50 of Michigan’s 83 counties. The Michigan Wheat Program board seeks to promote the state’s wheat industry by funding and supporting the strategic priorities of wheat farmers working with input suppliers, seed producers, millers, end users and consumers. Research on wheat production practices and grower education has been an early priority for the organization.