Ralph Gilkey of Gilkey Five farms was named winner of the free trip to the 2009 Central Coast Cotton Conference (CCCC) courtesy of Western Farm Press magazine. The contest was available to growers and pest control advisors who registered for the conference by Dec. 31, 2009. The prize includes two nights lodging in a deluxe ocean view room at the Cliffs Resort and a complimentary registration for the conference. The CCCC will take place Jan. 21-23, 2009 at the Cliffs Resort in Pismo Beach.

This is Gilkey’s first opportunity to attend the conference. He is excited that he’s able to attend this year and more excited about winning the free trip.

“When the meeting was held in November, we were still harvesting,” Gilkey said. “Now that it’s in January, I’m able to go and looking forward to the meeting.”

There are still other opportunities to win at the 2009 meeting. Door prizes will be given away at the welcome reception and there are several prizes for golf tournament participants.

The 2009 invitational golf tournament is sponsored by Bayer CropScience and will be held at the scenic Avila Beach Resort on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009. It’s an 18-hole, best ball tournament with a shotgun start beginning at noon. It includes lunch, a hosted beverage cart and prizes. There are prizes for the first, second and last place teams, longest drive and closest to the pin. Mackey and Mackey Insurance of Hanford are sponsoring a hole in one contest with a $5,000.00 cash prize on hole number eight, as well as other prizes for a hole in one on four other par three holes.

The golf tournament is fun and relaxed and one more reason to attend the meeting.

The conference is a continuing education course for growers, consultants, pest control advisors and crop advisors who work in the cotton and field crop farming industry. It’s an interactive meeting designed to give participants a rewarding way to learn, interact and relax.

To register or for more information, visit www.cottonconference.com or call (805) 239-8200.