Wide variety of presentations await Ag Progress Days visitors

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Visitors to Penn State's Ag Progress Days, Aug. 12-14, can learn a little bit about a lot by attending some of the many informative presentations to be offered by Penn State Extension specialists and agricultural industry experts, according to event organizers.The workshops are designed to provide information and insights to a variety of attendees, whether they are agricultural producers, home gardeners, natural-gas lease holders, or water-well or pond owners, noted Bob Oberheim, Ag Progress Days manager."By taking as little as 30 minutes of your time, you can learn something that might help you increase your farm's profitability, take advantage of energy-related opportunities, enhance the enjoyment of your lawn and landscape, or protect the quality and safety of our water resources," he said.Presentations will range from energy conservation, shale energy development, on-farm renewable energy sources and smart energy-buying practices to what's new in agriculture, insights on animal and poultry handling, and managing ponds.Visitors also can participate in discussions on the 2014 Farm Bill with government officials, industry representatives and educators; help develop a new tool to manage riparian zones on grazing lands; and hear perspectives on how to navigate the risks and benefits of farmer- generated data.And for homeowners, there will be presentations on topics such as making your backyard a palace for pollinators, building and operating a home vegetable garden irrigation system, preserving beneficial predators in the home garden, and reclaiming rainwater.The presentations will be offered at two locations close to each other on the Ag Progress Days site -- the theatre in the College of Agricultural Sciences Exhibits Building on Main Street between East Ninth and East 10th streets, and in the new Farm Family Learning Center building on Main Street and E. 9th Street, below the Pasto Museum.Presentations in the College Exhibits Building theatre will center on agricultural issues, water quality and garden questions. A complete schedule of topics and times is available here.Presentations in the Farm Family Learning Center will focus on energy. Topics and times can be found here.Sponsored by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 12; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 13; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 14. Admission and parking are free.For more information, visit the Ag Progress Days website.. Twitter users can find and share information about the event by using the hashtag #agprogress, and Facebook users can find the event here.