Winter meeting season gets underway Dec. 14 with the 2023 South Carolina Corn and Soybean Growers Meeting set for the Santee Conference Center in Santee. The North Carolina Commodity Conference is set for Jan. 11 to 12 at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Durham.

The South Carolina meeting highlights research efforts in the state to help corn and soybean farmers make informed decisions for the upcoming crop year. The keynote presentation will be "Corn and Soybean Drying and Storage: Current Technology and Management" with Dr. Kenneth Hellevang, Extension engineer and professor at North Dakota State University.

Clemson University Extension specialists will also present their latest research results and corn and soybean production recommendations to help farmers improve efficiency, yields, and productivity in 2024. The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m., includes a catered lunch, and concludes at 3:30 p.m. The Santee Conference Center is located at 1737 Bass Drive in Santee, S.C. 29142.

In addition, Steve Censky, CEO of the American Soybean Association; Anne Thompson, senior director of PAC and political strategy for the National Corn Growers Association; Cheryl Seyfert, executive director of government affairs for the American Soybean Association; Daryl Cates, president of the American Soybean Association; and Josh Gackle, vice president of the American Soybean Association, will provide a national perspective on issues impacting corn and soybean farmers.

The North Carolina Commodity Conference is the largest winter meeting held in the Carolinas and Virginia each year. The meeting is sponsored by Corn Growers Association of North Carolina; North Carolina Cotton Producers Association; North Carolina Small Grain Growers Association; and North Carolina Soybean Producers Association. 

The meeting begins at 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11 and concludes at noon on Friday, Jan. 12. The Sheraton Imperial Hotel is located at 4700 Emperor Boulevard in Durham, N.C. 27703.

Conference highlights include “the What and Why of Artificial Intelligence,” and presentations on the potential and pitfalls of animal waste applications in nutrient management on the first day of the conference. On the conference’s second day, highlights include comparisons of public versus private sector breeding programs and presentations on how to make cover crops work on your farm.