The 18th annual National Conservation Systems Cotton & Rice Conference, the Southern Corn & Soybean Conference and the Southern Precision Ag Conference are headed to Baton Rouge, La.

Sponsored by Cotton Incorporated, US Rice Producers Association, and the United Soybean Board and a production of MidAmerica Farm Publications, the event is scheduled for Jan. 14-16, 2015 at the Crowne Plaza, Baton Rouge, La.

The conference will showcase presentations by over 100 speakers. Mid-South farmers, university researchers representing seven southern universities and nationally recognized crop consultants will share their latest crop production research during the three-day conference.

Cotton, rice, corn and soybean production systems will be the topics. During a given hour, there are over 18 unique breakout sessions for attendees to choose from,” said John LaRose, chairman of the conference steering committee.

“At this conference you can learn from the nation’s leading agricultural researchers and crop production techniques of other Mid-South farmers.”

“Of the 100 plus scheduled speakers, over 40 will be Mid-South farmers who will be sharing their crop production systems with attendees during the breakout sessions,” said LaRose.

There were over 730 attendees at the last conference held in Tunica, Miss. When attendees were asked for their comments during past conferences, they wrote:

• “I liked real farmers talking about real world experiences and I was impressed with their vast knowledge and proven variables.”

• “I liked the informality of the meetings, timely information and the one-on-one with speakers. That alone made it the best conference in the South.”

• “The forward thinking speakers were truly experts in their fields — excellent meeting.”

• “Networking with like mind individuals in small group discussions provided a unique conference.”

• “The experiences of the producers really brought the message home for me - hearing farmers telling their stories of success and failure along with researchers giving scientific data.”

The Cotton and Rice Conference offers farmers ways to trim inputs while boosting yields. In recent years both farmers and landlords have found that beyond tillage, there are many other farming resources that can be conserved through a properly designed conservation systems program. The importance of conserving soil moisture, as well as reducing fuel, labor, seed, chemical, fertilizer and other input costs is the key to economic success for all farmers and landowners.

Farmers from Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee will be able to receive their state pesticide re-certification credits. Certified crop consultants can select from over 50 hours of qualifying sessions to earn CEUs during the conference.

For the past 17 years, the conference has been co-sponsored by the following universities: University of Arkansas, Mississippi State University, University of Missouri, University of Tennessee, LSU AgCenter, Auburn University, and Texas A&M. USDA-NRCS and USDA-ARS centers in the southern states are co-sponsors as well.

The conference is co-sponsored by many of the nation’s leading agricultural corporations and typically has a sold out trade show. Find registration and full details as they become finalized by visiting www.mafg.net.