The University of Wyoming Extension will host its WESTI Ag Day conference Tuesday, Feb. 3, in Worland. This all-day conference is designed to provide professional farmers with current, research-based information about best practices in Wyoming agriculture.

The event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 9 a.m. and concludes at 5 p.m. It will take place at the Washakie Museum and Cultural Center, located at 2200 Big Horn Avenue.

This year, the conference will focus on sugar beets. “If you haven’t been to a sugar beet meeting recently, there’s a lot of information to be had,” says Dan VanderPloeg, Washakie County extension educator and organizer of the event. “The point is to make it valuable for the farmers that are coming.”

Speakers include Andrew Kniss, professor of weed science; Jeremiah Vardiman, assistant coordinator of UW Extension’s pesticide safety education program; and Jean Williams-Woodward, UW Extension plant pathologist. Kniss will discuss control strategies for kochia, one of the biggest weed problems currently facing Wyoming farmers. Vardiman will also present about weed control, focusing on palmer amaranth. Williams-Woodward will address cercospora, a fungal disease that impacts sugar beets. Industry experts will also share presentations about current sugar beet opportunities and challenges.

Several door prizes are available for those who attend the conference.

The event also features a vendor reception. Throughout the day, agricultural businesses will display products like seeds as well as services like drone operation and irrigation installation.

To pre-register for WESTI Ag Day, contact the Washakie County extension office at (307) 347-3431. Participants can also register on site beginning at 8 a.m. Lunch will be provided for registered participants.

Contact VanderPloeg at (307) 347-3431 or dvanderp@uwyo.edu with questions.