The Texas Plant Protection Association (TPPA) is converting its two-day, in-person conference to a virtual event due to COVID-19 precautions. The online meeting is scheduled for December 8-10, 2020.

"The quality and relevance of the content aren't changing, only the format," says TPPA President Adam Hixson.

The theme for the 32^nd conference is "Resilient Agriculture: Healthy Farms for a Healthy Future." The conference, traditionally held in Bryan, is geared towards anyone involved in production agriculture, including producers, consultants, agribusinesses, researchers, Extension specialists and educators. In 2019, more than 300 people attended the annual meeting.

"Changing to a virtual conference will not only protect our presenters and participants, but also give more people an opportunity to attend," Hixson says. "Because Texas is a big state and not everyone can always make the drive to Bryan, switching to an online format allows producers, students, and other ag industry folks to access the presented material, no matter their location."

AGENDA

Day one of the annual conference will include a three-hour morning session with 30-minute presentations, including an update on Texas hemp production by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Statewide Hemp Specialist Calvin Trostle. Bart Fischer, Food Policy Center Co-Director, Texas A & M University, will discuss the latest on agriculture policy and regulations, including the farm bill.

Kelsey L.H. Greub, project scientist, Soil Health Institute, will delve into soil health, while Alex Thomasson, department head, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Mississippi State University, will focus on the status of rural broadband and how it affects precision agriculture.

Following a lunch break, a two-hour afternoon session will feature short presentations by crop consultants regarding upcoming changes in cotton weed control due to resistance concerns. The day will conclude with the Pest ID Contest.

Days two and three will feature half-day morning sessions covering cotton, fertility management, grains, horticulture and turf, water and irrigation management, and pasture and rangeland. Each topic will feature four, 15-minute presentations. The conference will conclude with its annual awards and scholarship ceremony.

STILL AVAILABLE

CEUs will be offered and both the presenter abstracts and the poster contest for graduate and doctoral students will be available online. To learn more about TPPA or to register, or to become a conference sponsor, go to http://texasplantprotection.com.