April 11, 2005
Sen. Obama will give keynote at SIUC's Ag Industry Day
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) will give the keynote address at Southern Illinois University Carbondale's first Agriculture Industry Day Saturday, April 23, at the College of Agricultural Science's beef and horticulture research centers, 599 Rowden Road in Carbondale.
The free event begins at 9 a.m. with exhibits and refreshments and ends at 3:30 p.m. Obama's talk, "Growing the food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Economy in Southern Illinois," takes place at 11:15 a.m.
Ag dean Gary L. Minish will talk about the state of the college at 10 a.m., followed by Associate Dean John S. Russin, who will brief those attending on research highlights at 10:30 a.m. The morning also features Saluki football Head Coach Jerry Kill and Illinois FFA President Kacy Baugher, with a free beef and pork barbecue, compliments of the state beef cattle and pork producers, served up at noon.
The afternoon program features presentations on horsemanship and training; home gardening; herd bull selection; weed control; diet and obesity; fire restoration; landscape design and construction; farm machine safety; food safety tips; fescue management for cattle and horses; lawn care; soybean rust; the market potential for an Illinois premium pork product; dietary soy; water quality issues; alternative energy sources; acceptance of genetically modified crops; and grape growing and wine making.
For more information, call SIUC's College of Agricultural Sciences at 618/453-2469.
Shaping cooperative ventures and celebrating faculty excellence are among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.