The 14th Annual National Conservation Systems Cotton & Rice Conference, the Southern Corn & Soybean Conference and the Southern Precision Ag Conference are headed to Baton Rouge, La.

Sponsored by Cotton Incorporated and US Rice Producers Association, and a production of MidAmerica Farm Publications, the event is scheduled for Feb. 1-2, 2011 at the Crowne Plaza, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

“Forty eight farmers will discuss their farming operations during their individual Breakout Sessions. In addition to the farmers, 58 researchers representing seven southern universities will share their latest production research. Cotton, rice, corn and soybean production systems will be the topics. During a given hour, there are over 20 unique breakout sessions to choose from,” stated John LaRose, chairman of the Conference Steering Committee.

This conference program is recognized by past attendees as the leading agriculture production conference.

When attendees were asked for their feedback at past conferences, this is what they wrote:

• “I liked real farmers talking about real world experiences and I was impressed with their vast knowledge and proven variables.”

• “I liked the informality of the meetings, timely information and the one on one with speakers. That alone made it the best conference in the South.”

• “The forward thinking speakers were truly experts in their fields — excellent meeting.”

• “Networking with like mind individuals in small group discussions provided a unique conference.”

• “The experiences of the producers really brought the message home for me — hearing farmers telling their stories of success and failure along with researchers giving scientific data.”

A must-attend meeting

The Cotton and Rice Conference is a must attend for all farmers wishing to hone their production methods. The conference offers farmers ways to trim inputs while boosting yields. In recent years both farmers and landlords have found that beyond tillage, there are many other farming resources that can be conserved through a properly designed conservation systems program. The importance of conserving soil moisture, as well as reducing fuel, labor, seed, chemical, fertilizer and other input costs is the key to economic success for all farmers and landowners.

Two other conferences are sponsored by the Cotton and Rice Conference and held at the same time and location. The Southern Corn and Soybean Conference and the Southern Precision Ag Conference are held in conjunction with the Cotton & Rice Conference. Kip Cullers, three-time world soybean yield record breaker and winner of 13 National Corn Growers Association awards, will highlight the corn and soybean breakout sessions. Cullers will also be facilitating a round table discussion.

Farmers from Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee will be able to receive their state pesticide re-certification credits. Certified crop consultants can select from over 58 hours of qualifying sessions to earn CEU’s during the conference.

As in the past 13 years, the conference is co-sponsored by the following seven universities: University of Arkansas, Mississippi State University, University of Missouri, University of Tennessee, LSU AgCenter, Auburn University, and Texas A&M. USDA-NRCS of Washington D.C. and USDA-ARS centers in the southern states are co-sponsors as well.

The conference co-sponsors are Bayer CropScience, Deltapine, DuPont Crop Protection, FMC Corporation, Helena Chemcial Co., HorizonAg, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., RiceCo LLC and RiceTec.

Ag-Media co-sponsors are Delta Farm Press and Southwest Farm Press. The conference will feature a large trade show.

For full details and registration, visit http://www.mafg.net.