The third annual Southwest Agricultural Seminar will take place Nov. 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lewis-Arriola Community Center, 21203 Road S.

The event is sponsored by High Desert Conservation. This year’s topic is farm profitability.

The keynote speaker is Dan Buerkle, a dryland farmer in a region of Montana that receives only 14 inches of precipitation per year, similar to this region.

He has been on the forefront of sustainable agronomic practices, successfully utilizing no-till, continuous cropping and diversification of crops to preserve soil health and farm profitability. Learn how Buerkle converted his marginal dryland farm operation into a profitable business.

Guest speaker Dan Hobbs, having participated in many startups, will speak about how producer cooperatives can facilitate the success of smaller farms.

Shawn Archibeque, an animal scientist from Colorado State University, will present the economies of adding cattle to a crop production farm. And farmer Brian Wilson and Travis Custer will discuss the Dragon-Line drip irrigation trial taking place in Pleasant View. The trademarked system combines drip irrigation with center pivots.

There also will be a panel discussion featuring local farmers sharing experiences and innovative practices, including no-till planting. There will be a discussion of organic field crop production and marketing, and the CSU Southwest Colorado Research Center will present an update on its cover crops study.

The seminar costs $10 and lunch will be served. Please RSVP by Nov. 16 by calling Kathryn at 970-529-8368.