Understanding carbon, whether that's credits, sequestration, or markets, will headline the 33rd Texas Plant Protection Association Conference (TPPA), Dec. 7-8, in Bryan, Texas. The theme, "Current and Emerging Trends in Texas Agriculture," will feature guest speakers who will discuss everything from soil health to cover crops to carbon crediting.  

The General Session will open with a presentation by Bart Fischer, co-director, Agricultural and Food Policy Center, Texas A&M University, who will focus on issues impacting Texas agriculture, followed by Lisa Streck, Bayer Crop Science Carbon Business Model Grower lead, who will discuss Bayer's carbon program.  

USDA-NRCS State Conservation Agronomist Fred Schrank will target strategies for transitioning to a soil health management system, and Nithya Rajan. associate professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, will close the session with "Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Carbon Crediting: Opportunities for Texas Producers." 

The Consultant General Session, which is open to all attendees, will begin after lunch. "Mark Nemec will moderate an excellent number of presentations that will provide more in-depth information on carbon," says Ray Smith, TPPA founder and chair. 

Afternoon presentations include the following: 

The Pest ID Contest with TPPA Chair Barron Rector, range specialist, Texas AgriLife Extension Service,  and the Cotton General Session will close out the afternoon.  

Day 2 will include the following sessions: Fertility Management, Grain, Pasture and Rangeland, Water and Irrigation Management. Click here to view the agenda.  

The doctoral and graduate poster contest will be held again this year. The posters will be displayed at the conference. The abstracts are due Nov. 5, 2021. For more information visit https://bit.ly/3vyEVkO.  (Photo by Shelley E. Huguley)

Dual opportunity 

This year's conference will be offered in-person and online. Last year, due to COVID-19, it was only offered virtually. "It will be great to return to an in-person conference this year," Smith says. "Last year's virtual conference provided a lot of good information, but the personal contact was definitely missed. Camaraderie and communication are an important part of this conference." 

To register for either format of the two-day event, visit http://www.texasplantprotection.com/.  

CEUs will be available along with presenter abstracts and the poster contest for graduate and doctoral students. At the conclusion of the conference, TPPA will announce its award recipients, including the association's most prestigious award, the Norman Borlaug Lifetime Achievement Award.