It's meeting season once again, and as I write it looks like most of them are still in person.

The NRCS Cotton and Rice Conference is taking place this year in Jonesboro, Ark., on Jan. 31 through Feb. 2. It's a good meeting to find out what is happening on the ground at farms across the Midsouth.

Usually, a grower is teamed up with a researcher for the presentations. You get firsthand information about conservation efforts that work in the field. Coley Bailey, a Mississippi cotton grower, and Alex Clark, a Missouri rice grower are the keynote speakers, in addition to other growers, researchers and crop consultants.

The following week the Louisiana Agricultural Technology & Management Conference takes place in Marksville, La. It is put on by the Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association. It is a good venue to hear from the industry and talk about emerging technology.

If it's farm policy you're interested in, you can catch up by checking out what went on at the American Farm Bureau annual meeting in early January in Atlanta, Ga. The AFB should have plenty of updates on its plan for 2022 on its website media page.

If it's cotton policy, the National Cotton Council will have its annual meeting Feb. 11-13 in Houston, Texas. They do a good job focusing the seven segments of the industry in a unified front to present their priorities to decision makers.

This year the United Soybean Board will be meeting in Little Rock, Ark., on Feb. 22 with its newly elected board. They haven't been there in a while, so it's good to have them in the area.

And that sets us up for the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show on Feb. 25 and 26. Tim Price and the board of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association have done a lot of work and shed a lot of blood, sweat and tears for the show this year. They are expanding their live sessions to get more useful information to attendees.

Of course, the venue has been totally redone since the last live show two years ago. Most of the exhibitors have returned and there are some new ones too, reflecting the growth and change in the industry over the last 24 months.

A quick internet search will bring up most of these meetings.

Also, check out your local Extension Service calendars. Now is the time universities begin their annual pre-planting production meetings. Just search your university's ag department and the word calendar and it should take you to their meeting schedule.

Even easier, call your local Extension agent. They have valuable information to help your operation.

This is really the best time of year to attend these meetings, because as I sit here in my office, several inches of snow is accumulating outside my window. It breaks up the winter.