At the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show, to be held this weekend, Feb.-26-27, 95 percent of the exhibit space is dedicated to agricultural products and services, a reality that draws thousands of visitors to the show each year.

Another major attraction is the opportunity to attend an array of educational seminars.

“Educational opportunities abound at this show,” says Tim Price, show manager and executive director of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association and Foundation, which sponsors the event, with Delta Farm Press as co-sponsor. “Each year, we develop two or three special seminars aimed at helping farmers to be more profitable in some way.” This year’s educational seminars include:  

The Mid-South Ag Forum: “Profitability and Stewardship Together – Through Technology” will be held Friday, Feb. 26 at 1:30 p.m. Featured speakers include Dr. Mike Daniels, Environmental Management Specialist, University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service; Dr. Bill Robertson, Professor, Cotton Extension Agronomist, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Newport, Ark.; and Steve Stevens, Farmer, Desha County, Ark.

“At this seminar, you can learn from Extension specialists and farmers who are seeing results about production techniques that enhance profitability while protecting and enhancing natural resources,” Price says.

Click here to see our photo gallery from the 2015 Mid-South Farm and Gin Show.

Southern Corn Production Success – 486 bushels per acre and counting! This seminar, to be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, will feature Valdosta, Ga., grower Randy Dowdy, the 2015 National Corn Growers Association corn yield contest winner, who will discuss the production production strategies he follows that focus on maximizing corn yield by minimizing the stress plants experience throughout the growing season.

More than 400 exhibitors will be offering new equipment, products, and services at the 2016 Mid-South Farm and Gin Show.

“His forward thinking approach to corn production challenges traditionally accepted practices and focuses on extracting as much yield as possible from each planted seed,” Price says. “This seminar will cover Understanding Plant Physiology and Components of Yield; Capturing Genetic Yield Potential; Alleviating Inevitable Stress a Plant May Face; Nutrient Uptake: Understanding Timing vs. Availability; and Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone.

Special rice marketing seminar: “What a Rice Farmer Needs to Know to Prosper,” will be held Saturday, Feb. 17, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Milo Hamilton, co-founder and senior agricultural economist of Firstgrain, Inc., will be the speaker. “The formation of the rice price in the Delta is not well understood, “ Price says. “Rice futures are an Americas, not an Asian contract, and a lot of the hype and worry are misdirected. Climate trends, water, and relative value of rice to other things will drive the acreage planted in the U.S. and the profitability of growing rice in Brazil or Arkansas.”  

All special seminars will be held in the mezzanine level meeting room of the Cook Convention Center.

Scan this QR code to download the Farm and Gin Show mobile app to access complete details about the show and things to do in Memphis, as well as updates and added information during the show.

Take a look at our photo album from the 2014 Mid-South Farm and Gin Show. Click here.

You can pre-register for the show by visiting the Farm and Gin Show website (www.farmandginshow.com). Click on “Attendee Registration,” complete the form, and print out the confirmation. Bring that form to the show and staff on site will help complete the process and provide a name badge for entry onto the show floor. Also, be sure to download the Farm and Gin Show mobile app to access complete details about the show and things to do in Memphis, as well as updates and added information during the show.

Show hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. More information is available at www.farmandginshow.com