Largest Cereal School

University of Idaho Extension will host its biggest cereal school ever, covering a range of topics of interest to eastern Idaho grain farmers, on Feb. 5 at the Shoshone-Bannock Hotel and Event Center, 777 Bannock Ave.

In prior years, UI Extension hosted six smaller cereal schools — each drawing between 20 and 60 guests — in St. Anthony, Idaho Falls, Soda Springs, Preston, Pocatello and Burley. For 2025, Extension is planning a single “East Idaho Cereals Conference” in Fort Hall that will serve up to 280 eastern Idaho farmers, as well as others who work in the agricultural sector.

“It’s always been a struggle for us to get speakers because they have to come and travel around with us for the whole week,” said UI Extension Educator Justin Hatch, Caribou County, who is the head of the event’s planning committee. “Our hope is that this will bring in speakers and make it a bigger event that’s more beneficial to more people and consolidate our efforts into one event that’s really good.”

Registration for the event will be $25 in advance, with preregistration available through Jan. 23, or $35 at the door. Lunch is included. Onsite registration will open at 8 a.m., followed by a welcome in the main conference room at 9 a.m. The day’s final session will end at 4 p.m.

Presentations open to all participants in the main conference room will include an economic outlook by UI Extension Agricultural Economist Brett Wilder; talks by leaders with the Idaho Wheat Commission, the Idaho Barley Commission and the Idaho Grain Producers Association; and a panel discussion on the water outlook and details of an agreement to avert water-call curtailments. The water panel will include Craig Chandler, watermaster of Water District 1; James Cefalo, Idaho Department of Water Resources eastern regional manager; Mark Dallon, hydrologist with the National Weather Service’s Pocatello field office; and Pocatello-based water attorney T.J. Budge.

The agenda also includes multiple breakout sessions that will be offered concurrently. One room will be devoted to pesticide-related topics, and pesticide applicator recertification credits will be awarded. Other breakout rooms will focus on local research covering topics such as lime applications, variety selection, cost of production, nutrient barley residue biomass, new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations related to endangered species, mitigating drift while using drones for pesticide applications, mixing growth regulators with herbicides, wild oat control and risk management.

Furthermore, several researchers will display posters on their projects, and vendors will showcase their products and services in the hall outside of the conference rooms.

“I think this format will allow us to share more topics people are interested in. We’ll be able to branch out to hot topics that are going on and still present local research, and we’ll meet the needs of our growers better,” Hatch said.

• Please fill out Registration form by Thursday, Jan. 23
• Cost is $25 through Jan. 23 or $35 at the door
• For more information, contact Justin Hatch at 208-547-3205 or jlhatch@uidaho.edu

Published in Catching Up with CALS