The 17th annual North Carolina Soybean, Corn and Small Grain Growers Association meeting will be held Jan. 19-20 at the Riverfront Convention Center in New Bern, N.C.

The annual meeting, titled “Fueling for the Future”, will feature sessions on renewable energy sources from the farm and the use of global positioning satellites for more efficient grain production.

Mark Gold, managing director of E-Hedger in Chicago, Ill., will present the keynote address, titled, “Market Outlook for Corn, Wheat and Soybeans.”

Bob Metz, president of the American Soybean Association will give an update on the effects of the upcoming farm bill on soybean production and marketing.

Other educational sessions during the day and a half meeting include a panel discussion on “Intergenerational Transfer of a Working Farm,” “Soybean Rust Update” and reviews of corn, soybean and wheat research at North Carolina State University.

Interest in corn and soybean production in North Carolina was heightened by the recent opening of the first ethanol production plant on the East Coast. Jim Wilder, president of the North Carolina Soybean Growers Association, notes that interest is high in the region in soybean, corn and grain production, with the new ethanol plant adding to the optimism for the 2006 crop.

For more information about the meeting and late registration information, contact the North Carolina Soybean Growers Association at 919-839-5700.