The 2010 Rice Technical Working Group meeting will be held Feb. 22-25 at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Miss.

An up-to-the-minute exchange of information at the meeting is especially important in current market conditions. Many rice varieties growing in fields today were produced by public breeding programs, and farmers depend on the researchers to continue making advancements in DNA marker technology, to test the new chemistries needed to combat yield-robbing pests, to improve fertility practices, and to study grain handling efficiency.

At the RTWG 2010 meeting, professionals will share the newest discoveries and innovations in rice breeding, genetics, entomology, plant pathology, weed science, fertility, economics and marketing, rice storage and processing.

While the participants at this meeting are primarily scientists, innovative rice farmers and consultants are invited to attend to obtain information on the latest cutting-edge technology, as well as have an opportunity to interact with rice scientists from around the world.

The Rice Technical Working Group is made up of researchers and Extension personnel in the rice-growing states of Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. RTWG functions according to an informal memorandum of agreement among the state agricultural experiment stations and the agricultural Extension Services of Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas, and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the Economic Research Service (ERS), the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), and other agencies of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Membership is composed of personnel in these and other cooperating public agencies and participating industry groups who are actively engaged in rice research and Extension.

Since 1960, research scientists and administrators from the U.S. rice industry and from international agencies have participated in the biennial meetings.

For additional information, go to http://www.rtwg2010.com or call Tim Walker at the Delta Research and Extension Center at (662) 686-9311.