Journal staff report

Ag-Expo mania is once again landing at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds beginning Thursday and lasting through March 11. This year’s event features all of the favorite seminars, booths, equipment displays and demonstration activities, plus a lot more, all for a $1 entrance fee.

"It keeps getting better every year, and this year is no different with new and better events," said Bob Bragg, Ag Expo manager.

This year there will be more demonstration activities, including a show on ranch-horse use by a well-known quarter-horse foundation affiliate, in addition to a cattle-dog demonstration.

"This year the cattle-dog event will be more specialized and will be taking place throughout the day," Bragg said. "People will get to see some super-dogs work cattle."

More education seminars will be available on topics ranging from farm management to irrigation, farming techniques and equipment. These seminars are all free of charge, offering a great opportunity for exposure to the latest farm and ranch technologies and data.

Educational seminars are an important part of the expo, and organizers believe that it is important for farmers and ranchers to have access to the latest in agricultural information. Highlights of the schedule are as follows; a complete schedule will appear in Tuesday’s Cortez Journal.

• Farming and Ranching with Safety in Mind — March 10, 9:30 a.m. Presented by Pete Bellows, a certified FarMedic instructor, and Rufus Campbell, a certified extrication specialist. They will cover how accidents happen, the aftermath, and how to avoid accidents. They will also demonstrate how they work when at an agriculture accident scene.

• Soil, Crop, and Water Management — March 10, 1 p.m. Abdel Berrada of the Southwestern Colorado Research Center will direct the seminar for both large and small crop producers.

• Noxious Weeds of our Area — March 10, 7 p.m. Rod Cook, weed manager for La Plata County.

• Adding Value to Agriculture Production through Alternative Crops — March 10, evening. Dr. Duane Johnson, CSU agronomy specialist.

• Seedling Tree Workshop — March 11, morning in conjunction with the Dolores Soil Conservation District meeting at 9:30 a.m.

• Mancos Redi-Mix Cattle Dog event — This lively demonstration will take place on the outdoor arena west of the Ag Hall exhibits. The times are: Thursday at 3 p.m.; Friday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.; and Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

• Meyer Implement-Cortez FFA Mini Tractor Pull — March 11. It is open to kids from the ages of three to eight. Pull-offs are scheduled for Friday at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., and Saturday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

• Foundation Quarter Horse Demonstration — Thursday at 4 p.m., Friday at 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. The horses will perform tasks much like they do when at home on the ranch, such as opening and closing gates, and moving cattle.

• Beef Cattle Show — Saturday 1 p.m. at the North Livestock building. The first class is the Montezuma Veterinary Clinic Beef Showmanship Contest. The O’Neal Cattle Breeders and No Bull Beef contest will follow. The Basin Co-op Prospect Steer Show will wrap up the show.

A recent resurgence in agriculture nationwide makes this year’s Ag Expo especially relevant to local residents, Bragg said. The economic strength of agriculture is growing in the county, representing a community-wide sentiment that prioritizes farm land over sprawling development.