Brandon Greet

An opportunity to discuss healthcare changes with experts in the industry is Thursday, March 28, in Worland.

The Washakie County office of the University of Wyoming Extension is hosting the discussion and dinner at the Worland Community Center Complex, said Brandon Greet, extension educator. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with dinner, and discussion starts at 6 p.m. The cost is $20 to preregister and $25 at the door.

“Open enrollment in the health insurance marketplace begins Oct. 1. Some people have been following the changes closely, but many of us have not,” said Greet. “With open enrollment on the way, it is a great time to learn what ischanging.”

The Affordable Care Act was signed into law March 23, 2010.

“This law affects farmers, ranchers, small business owners and individuals,” said Greet. “How will it affect you and your business? How should you be preparing? Everyone needs answers to these questions.”

There are two parts to the ACA:  Medicaid expansion and the insurance exchange.  “Between these two parts, everybody in the United States will be affected in some way,” Greet noted.

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Three-minute presentations by scientists, field research tours – and dinner – are part of field day Thursday, Aug. 23, at the James C. Hageman Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center near Lingle.

The field day is 4-7 p.m. Researchers will cover topics including livestock feeding and care, crop varieties, weed control, crop disease control, alternative crops and more.

The open house will be much more interactive and informal than in the past, according to Jim Freeburn, director of operations.

“The changes are being made in an effort to allow more relaxed conversations between the researchers and the farmers and ranchers in the area,” he said.

Freeburn stressed everyone is welcome to attend and that there will be posters, displays and tours of the high tunnel greenhouse, the feedlot and the crop areas.

The schedule, changed from a morning to a late afternoon and evening setting this year, is:

4 p.m. – University of Wyoming update and overview

4:15 p.m. – BEHAVE project research update: “Behavioral influences on diet and habitat selection of livestock,” by Beth Burritt, area rangeland resources agent, Utah State University

4:45 p.m. – Fastest three-minute research presentations

5:15-7 p.m. – Field tours, poster displays and dinner

Forage kochia

Researchers at the University of Wyoming will begin studying whether or not a drought-resistant plant unfazed by poor soils is an answer to reclaiming sites disturbed by oil and gas extraction.

Forage kochia is a semi-evergreen, perennial shrub that can compete with cheatgrass, halogeton and other annual weeds.

Forage kochia is well-adapted to arid areas, provides good nutrition in the fall and winter, and can be used in greenstrips to stop wildfire, said Anowar Islam, University of Wyoming Extension forage agroecologist and assistant professor in the Department of Plant Sciences.

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