Events Calendar

Check out this feature for events that will help you farm smarter and more profitably and stay in touch with those involved in Mid-South agriculture.

To list your organization’s special event in the Delta Farm Press Calendar of Events, e-mail details, including contact person, phone number, etc., to: Ed Phillips, ephillips@farmpress.com.

Feb. 5: Tri-County Rice Production Clinic, Moro Community Center, Moro, Arkansas. Lee, Monroe and Phillips counties. The clinic will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude at noon. Speakers: Extension specialists Chuck Wilson, Rick Cartwright, Bob Scott, Bobby Coats and Ralph Mazzanti. For more information contact the Lee County Extension office at (870) 295-7720.

Feb. 9: Row Crop Marketing Meeting, Hut Restaurant, Somerville, Tenn. Presented by the Fayette County Extension Office. Starts at 8 a.m. Bunge representatives will be on hand to educate producers about their marketing programs and other marketing information. Jeff Via, County Director, Fayette County, Tenn. Phone (901) 465-5233; e-mail jvia@utk.edu.

Feb. 9: Pesticide Applicator Training, Lon Mann Cotton Research Station, Hwy 1 south of Marianna, Ark. 8:30 a.m. Lunch provided. (800) 295-7720.

Feb. 10: Arkansas State University Agribusiness Conference, ASU Fowler and Convocation Centers, Jonesboro, Ark. On-site registration begins at 8 a.m. in the Fowler Center. The morning general session features presentations on the 2007 Agricultural Census, commodity markets and risk management, the economics and politics of climate change, and the impact of financial markets and macroeconomics on agribusiness. Lunch will be served in the Convocation Center at noon. Greg Cole, president and CEO of AgHeritage Farm Credit Services, will deliver the luncheon address. Afternoon special interest sessions end at 3 p.m. Complete conference program and on-line registration for the noon luncheon will be available at http://agri.astate.edu. There is no registration fee. Crystal Gastineau at (870) 972-2085 or cgastineau@astate.edu.

Feb. 10-12: 2010 Louisiana Agricultural Technology & Management Conference, SAI Convention Center, Alexandria, La. For more information, contact Denise Wright, Executive Director, Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association at glpblues@bellsouth.net or call (337) 945-3694.

Feb. 11: Annual University of Tennessee Cotton Focus, West Tennessee Research and Education Center, Jackson, Tenn. Features presentations from UT Research and Extension Specialists containing new information on topics such as cotton budgets, weed control systems, seeding rates, insect management and cotton variety selection and performance. Registration for Cotton Focus 2010 begins at 8 a.m. and will conclude at noon. Held in conjunction with Tennessee Agricultural Production Association Agronomic Work Shop. Pesticide points and Certified Crop Advisor points available. The West Tennessee Research & Education Center is located at 605 Airways Boulevard in Jackson, Tenn. For more detailed information concerning Cotton Focus visit the website http://west.tennessee.edu, or contact Chris Main at cmain@utk.edu.

Feb. 14-17: 2010 Agricultural Economic Symposium, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Destin, Fla. Two days of seminars on agronomic techniques to reduce risk, the tax environment, credit, farmland values, ethanol and advancements in technology for 2010 and beyond. The symposium concludes with a commodity price outlook from Richard Brock, president of Brock Associates. Another guest speaker is Robert Fraley, executive vice president and chief technology officer for Monsanto. Register at www.brockreport.com, or call (800) 558-3431. For room reservations, call (800) 320-8115. Sponsors for the event are Delta Farm Press, Corn and Soybean Digest, Asgrow, AgFirst, Helena, Machinerylink, Poet Nutrition and Brock Associates.

Feb. 15: Deadline for 2010 Arkansas Beef Ambassador Competition entries. Sponsored by the Arkansas Cattlewomen’s Association, the competition is open to any Arkansas youth between the ages of 9 and 20. There are three divisions: Youth Division for ages 9-12; Junior Division for ages 13-16; and Senior Division for ages 17-20 (must be 17 by Jan. 1, 2010, but not over 20 by Jan. 1, 2011). Three monetary awards will be given in each division. The first place winner of the Senior Division receives a $1,500 scholarship and will also represent Arkansas at the National Beef Ambassador Competition to be held in South Dakota in October 2010. The competition will be held Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Carroll County Cattlemen’s Building on the Carroll County Fairgrounds at the junction of Hwy. 21 & 221 N in Berryville, Ark. Check-in and orientation will begin at 8 a.m. with the competition beginning promptly at 9 a.m. For questions, rules, regulations and an information packet, contact Wendy Pettz, Arkansas CattleWomen’s Association (479) 738-6581, the Arkansas Beef Council (501) 228-1222 or e-mail wlpettz@hughes.net.

Feb. 16-18: Crop College, Stoneville, Miss. To register, go to msucares.com/crops/college.

Feb. 17: Cotton Price Risk Management Seminar, Peabody Hotel, 149 Union Ave., Memphis, Tenn., from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Speakers include Carl Anderson and John Robinson, Texas A&M University, and O.A. Cleveland, cotton marketing specialist. Discussions include variety of option strategies for managing risk. Registration is free and includes all presentation materials as well as lunch during the seminar. Call Kay Wriedt, Cotton Incorporated, (919) 678-2271 or e-mail kwriedt@cottoninc.com for more information. The seminar is sponsored by Cotton Incorporated and Delta Farm Press.

Feb. 18: Mississippi Rice Council Annual Meeting, Bolivar County Extension Office in Cleveland, Miss. Speakers include Dwight Roberts, president and CEO, U.S. Rice Producers Association; Hunt Shipman from Cornerstone Government Affairs with a Capitol Hill update; and Dennis DeLaughter, president, Progressive Farm Management, Inc. The meeting will be start at 10 a.m. For more information, contact Tina Manning at (662) 686-3356 or tmanning@deltacouncil.org.

Feb. 18-19: Louisiana Ag Industries Association (LAIA) Annual Convention, Paragon Casino & Resort, Marksville, La. Members and representatives from the seed, fertilizer, chemical, grain, and feed industries are invited. Timely information and critical market updates not offered at other production-oriented meetings. Pre-registration is $125, which includes a banquet dinner and all meals and refreshments. A golf tournament at Tahmaka Trails on Feb. 18 begins at 10 a.m. Meeting is open to all producers, consultants, and industry representatives. Donna Morgan, (318) 229-9955 or dsmorgan1@suddenlink.net.

Feb. 18-19: 2010 Agricultural Outlook Forum, Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel, Arlington, Va. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will keynote the forum titled “Sustainable Agriculture: The Key to Health & Prosperity.” Focus on a broad range of topical issues related to rural communities, nutrition, sustainable agriculture, conservation, and food safety and security. The forum also will feature traditional USDA commodity supply and demand and food price outlooks. USDA will Web cast the entire morning plenary speeches. The program and registration information is at: www.usda.gov/oce/forum. Registration is $350 until Jan. 15, and $375 thereafter. Plenary speeches will be Web cast after 3:30 p.m. EST on Feb. 18, and breakout session speech and PowerPoint presentations will be posted online after 5 p.m., Feb. 19.

Feb. 19: Soybean and Wheat Production Clinic, Lon Mann Cotton Research Station, Hwy 1 south of Marianna, Ark. 8 a.m. Lunch provided. (800) 295-7720.

Feb. 21-23: Pesticide and Ag Plastics Stewardship Annual Conference, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Savannah, Ga. Keynote address by Steve Owens, EPA assistant administrator: New Directions at EPA for Pesticides and Product Stewardship. Kevin Neal, (765) 494-1585 or nealk@purdue.edu. Information at http://tpsalliance.org/conference/Introduction.htm.

Feb. 22-25: 2010 Rice Technical Working Group meeting, Beau Rivage Resort and Casino, Biloxi, Miss. An up-to-the-minute exchange of information. 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. Participants are primarily scientists, but innovative rice farmers and consultants are invited to attend. RTWG is made up of researchers and Extension personnel in the rice-growing states of Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. For additional information, go to http://www.rtwg2010.com or call Tim Walker at the Delta Research and Extension Center at (662) 686-9311.

Feb. 24: Nutrient Technology to Boost Farmer’s Bottom Line Workshop for Agricultural Producers, Malden Community Center Auditorium, 607 Douglass St., Malden, Mo. 8:30 a.m. to 1p.m. Free lunch provided if you register by Feb. 19. Call (573) 624-5939 ext.6 to register. Sponsored by the Bootheel Nutrient Management Coalition. http://www.upstreamheroes.org/missouribootheel.php. For more information, contact Scott Crumpecker, Bootheel Resource Conservation & Development, (573( 624-5939 ext.6 or scott.crumpecker@mo.usda.gov.

Feb. 25: Southeast Missouri Annual Peach Grower’s Meeting, SEMO – Malden. Harry L. Crisp Bootheel Education Center in Malden, Mo. Registration begins at 6:30 p.m. This event is hosted by the University of Missouri Extension. For more information, contact the Dunklin County Extension office at (573) 888-4722.

Feb. 26-27: Mid-South Farm & Gin Show, “Agriculture at the Crossroads,” Cook Convention Center, Memphis, Tenn. One of the South’s largest indoor trade shows, featuring more than 400 interactive exhibits from 46 states and several foreign countries. Educational Ag Update seminars will be held Friday and Saturday, including grain and cotton outlooks, and comments from several industry officials. Special topic seminars are also planned for Saturday afternoon. Exhibit hours are Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For additional information, contact the Southern Cotton Ginners Association at (901) 947-3104 or visit the Web site: www.farmandginshow.com.

Feb. 26-27: Ninth Annual Mississippi Farm Toy Show, MAFES Conference Center (locally known as the old Mississippi State Bull Barn and located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Hwy. 12 and Hwy. 182), Starkville, Miss. Friday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information call (662) 418-4537 or e-mail: JByrd@PSS.MsState.Edu.

Feb. 27: Annual meeting of the Missouri Levee and Drainage District Association in Columbia, Mo. Holiday Inn Executive Center, at US Hwy I-70 and Stadium Blvd, (exit 124). 12:00 noon until 9:30 p.m. The program includes during an afternoon and an evening session, with dinner, featured Washington, D.C., legislative and government agency officials speaking about river issues. Decisions about flood control and navigation operations and other issues. Of particular interest will be information about the Title 1, Section 108, Missouri River Authorized Purposes Study, including water releases for navigation on the Missouri River and water releases to support navigation on the Mississippi River. Tom Waters, President MLDDA, Orrick, Mo., (816) 770-5562.

March 1-2: 6th Annual Arkansas Women in Agriculture Conference, Wyndham Riverfront in North Little Rock, Ark. The agenda, registration and hotel information are available at www.arkansaswomeninag.com. Keynote speakers for this year’s conference are Andrea Lohr and Ruth Hambleton. Through the award of a grant from USDA Risk Management Agency, ARWIA will offer risk management topics such as transition planning, insurance, legal issues, and more. In addition, through the support of the RMA and the Southern Region Risk Management Education Center, pre-conference workshops will be held on grain marketing, contracts/leases, estate planning as well as two hands-on workshops on business plans and how to adapt Quicken to farm/ranch records. In total, the conference will offer over 32 topics on sustainable agriculture, management, legal issues, leadership, and health and wellness. For complete conference information, membership information and to register online, visit www.arkansaswomeninag.com, or contact Donette Stump at (501) 228-1222 or donette.stump@arfb.com or contact Carrie Hirmer at (870) 653-6258 or carriehirmer@yahoo.com.

March 4-6: Commodity Classic Convention and Trade Show, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif. Commodity Classic is the convention and trade show of the American Soybean Association, the National Corn Growers Association, the National Association of Wheat Growers and the National Sorghum Producers. Trade show, educational sessions, technology demonstrations, association banquets, entertainment events and important networking opportunities. For more information on Commodity Classic, go to www.commodityclassic.com.

March 9-10: Greenhouse Tomato Short Course, Eagle Ridge Conference Center, Raymond, Miss. Information and registration: http://greenhousetomatosc.com. Rick Snyder, RickS@ra.msstate.edu.

March 10-12: American Feed Industry Association Purchasing and Ingredient Suppliers Conference, Hilton Palacio Del Rio in San Antonio, Texas. More details can be found at www.afia.org.

March 11: Missouri Agricultural Outlook Conference, Capitol Plaza Hotel, Jefferson City, Mo. 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The conference provides farmers and agricultural leaders their first look at the annual 10-year baseline projection by MU Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute. The economists will discuss the driving forces of change in Missouri agriculture and bio-fuel markets. The schedule provides time for questions and answers, plus discussion from the floor. This meeting is for producers, agribusiness and farm group leaders, and state policymakers. Guest speaker will be Jason Henderson, vice president and Omaha branch executive of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. In addition to giving commodity projections, speakers will cover international issues and changing energy, climate and agricultural policies. Advance registration is required through the MU Conference office. The $25 registration fee covers lunch and materials. Program and registration details are at: http://fapri.missouri.edu.

March 11: Mississippi State University High Tunnel Field Day, MSU Truck Crops Experiment Station, Crystal Springs, Miss. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration includes lunch and is $15 by March 1 and $25 per person after that. Basics of producing fruits, vegetables and cut flowers in high tunnels. Tours of high tunnels being used to grow a variety of crops. Speakers are Curt Rom of the University of Arkansas, Carl Motsenbocker of Louisiana State University and Dave Dowling of Farmhouse Flowers and Plants of Maryland. Exhibitors will be on hand offering products and services related to high tunnel crop production. Growers can learn about a cost-share program for high tunnels that is available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Resource Conservation Service. The high tunnel field day is sponsored by MSU, the Mississippi Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce. The MSU Truck Crops Experiment Station is at 2024 Experiment Station Road in Crystal Springs. Details are available at http://msucares.com/crops/hightunnels/news.html. Contact Gu at (662) 325-1682 or mgu@pss.msstate.edu for more information.

March 11-12: Mississippi Women in Agriculture State Conference, Bost Extension Center, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Miss. Agenda that continues the program’s goal to improve business skills of farm owners and managers. Registration is $100 and due by March 4. Topics include legal trends, leadership, groundwater regulations, climate change and alternative energy. Participants will have a chance to tour several MSU agricultural facilities, the food technology laboratory and the College of Veterinary Medicine during the conference. Registration forms can be downloaded from the Mississippi Women in Agriculture Web site at http://msucares.com/womeninag. Mail the form with payment to Sonia Hancock, Mississippi Women in Agriculture, P.O. Box 9656, Mississippi State, MS 39762. For more information, contact Hancock at (662) 325-3207 or womeninag@ext.msstate.edu.

March 26: Pesticide Applicator Training, Lon Mann Cotton Research Station, Hwy 1 south of Marianna, Ark. 8:30 a.m. Lunch provided. (800) 295-7720.

April 10: 35th Annual World Catfish Festival, downtown Belzoni, Miss. 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Activities include live entertainment all day, catfish eating contest, crowning of the Catfish Queen, 5K run, new rides just for the kids, a carnival with rides and entertainment, fun for the entire family, over 140 arts and crafts vendors. www.belzonims.com or (800) 408-4838.

April 13-14: 2010 Arkansas Water Resources Center Annual Research and Watershed Conference, University of Arkansas Global Campus Conference Center, 2 East Center Street, Fayetteville, Ark. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the first session will begin at 8:15 a.m. Session topics include ground water quality and resources, reservoir hydrodynamics and water research needs, and stream bank restoration design and examples in Arkansas. A poster session and student poster competition will be held on the 13th from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Registration fee is $95 for professionals and $50 for presenters and students, and includes breakfast, lunch and a social on Tuesday and breakfast and optional stream restoration tour on Wednesday. CEUs are available for an additional fee. For more information on the conference, or if you are interested in presenting a poster, visit the AWRC website at www.uark.edu/depts/awrc