The South Dakota State University Extension Service is hosting the Western Corn Belt Precision Agriculture Conference March 13 in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The conference will be held at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. Registration begins at 8 a.m.

Agenda
9 to 9:20 a.m. -- Conference Introduction Address; Dr. Gregg Carlson, SDSU Professor and Extension Specialist "Building Wealth with Precision Agronomics"

Winning Moves With Precision Ag

9:20 to 9:45 a.m. -- Welcome; Dr. Barry Dunn, dean of the SDSU College of Agriculture and Biosciences, Lisa Richardson, Executive Director-South Dakota Corn Growers Association and South Dakota Corn Utilization Council; and Darren Hefty, South Dakota Producer, co-owner of Hefty Seed, and co-host of AgPhd

9:45 to 10:45 a.m. -- Precision Ag Grower Panel; panelists will discuss; "What works, and is it worth the investment." Presenters include Gordon Anderson,  Beresford, S.D.; Bill Ferguson, Witten, S.D.; Darren Hefty, Baltic, S.D.

10:45 to 11:15 a.m. -- Break - Trade Show - Refreshments

11:15 to 12:10 p.m. -- Dr. Paul Fixen, senior vice President, director of research, International Plant Nutrition Institute, "4R Stewardship Goes Beyond Precision Fertilizer Management." The only way to accomplish objectives for fertilizer use is to use fertilizers with precision within a cropping system where all other growth factors are also managed with precision concepts. What connect fertilizer use with fertilizer performance are the cropping system and all the interactions between cultural practices and fertilizer use efficiency. Precision across the system is mandatory. Precision means applying the right product, at the right rate, at the right time, in the right place.

12:15 to 1:25 p.m. -- Lunch - Trade Show

1:30 to 2:25 p.m. -- Terry Griffin, vice president-applied economics, Cresco Ag, LLC, Memphis, Tenn., "Making the Most of Precision Agriculture" I have all this data - now what? Griffin shares how to make and implement decisions based on the data collected by today's precision agriculture systems. He helps producers make sense of the data they collect and then use it to enhance profitability and achieve best practices in farming operations. Griffin explains how precision agricultural technologies such as yield monitors, GPS-enabled navigation, and automated application controllers are being used by farmers and how these technologies empower farmers and their advisors to make better decisions. 

2:25 to 2:45 p.m. Break - Trade Show - Refreshments

2:45 to 4 p.m. -- Precision Ag Industry Panel. Data Management Systems presenters include Ag Leader - Jeff Dickens; FarmWorks - Francis Shafer; and Ag Data Viewer - Travis Bremer.

4 to 5 p.m. -- Trade Show

The preregistration fee is $35 until March 6 and $50 after that. Event attendance is limited to 350. Online registration is available at iGrow.org. For further information, contact Larry Wagner, SDSU Extension Agronomy Field Specialist, [email protected] or 605-782-3290.