Annual Conference of the Minnesota Lamb and Wool Producers Association

The theme for the 2007 Minnesota Lamb & Wool Producers (MLWP) annual conference and trade is Planning for the Future. The program includes two days of quality educational sessions on sheep management topics, including nationally known speakers, the annual banquet, the MLWP annual business meeting, the Silver Bell luncheon honoring some top sheep producers, the Make it With Wool Contest, and a trade show with vendors of sheep-related equipment, supplies, and consumer products. The trade show is free to the public.

There will be sessions for beginning and experienced shepherds. Topics include: Stress Management, New Nutrient Requirements for Sheep, LRP-Lamb and AGR-Lite Insurance, Managed Grazing, Scrapie/Animal IS Update, Ask the Vet, Sheep Farm Business Planning, Future of the Sheep Industry Panel, Working with Wool Fabrics, Felting, Cooking with Lamb, and Beginning Shepherds/Small Flock classes.

Registration on day one starts at 1 p.m., includes several educational sessions, the MLWP business meeting, and concludes with the MLWPA annual banquet and auction. Day two features the Make it With Wool Contest and Fashion Revue, more classes, the Silver Bell Luncheon, and concludes with a lamb cooking class. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Larry Goelz (Pipestone Veterinary Clinic), Dr. Cindy Wolf (UofM), Dr. Ted Mathews (Mathews Mental Health), Peter Scheffert (Riverland Community College), and Bo Donegan (American Lamb Board) are among the many speakers invited to share their knowledge with us. You won’t want to miss these excellent programs.

The 2007 MLWP annual conference will be held December 7 and 8 at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in Rochester. Registration fee information, a complete agenda, a description of speakers and topics, and information on hotel reservations are available on the web at www.mlwp.org. To receive the lowest rates, register by November 21. If you have any questions about the conference, contact Jeremy Geske, MLWP President at (952) 758-7938 or jgeske@fbmn.org.