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CONSERVATION TILLAGE CONFERENCE PLANNED IN AUBURN
AUBURN, Ala.__–Farmers and others interested in conservation tillage
are invited to attend the 25th Annual Southern Conservation Tillage
Conference for Sustainable Agriculture, to be held June 24-26 in Auburn.
The conference, which is being organized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural
Research Service (USDA-ARS) National Tillage Laboratory, will center
on the theme "Making Conservation Tillage Conventional: Building
a Future on 25 Years of Research." It will recognize a quarter
century of work by the USDA-ARS, university scientists, extension specialists,
Natural Resources Conservation Service conservationists, crop consultants,
farmers and others who have been working on sustainable farming practices
to develop new ways of conserving soil and water resources for future
generations.
According to conference coordinator Kirk Iversen, the meeting highlights
past research and also will help set priorities for future research
and outreach efforts.
The event kicks off with a reception for all conference participants
beginning at 4 p.m. on June 24 at the AU Hotel and Dixon Conference
Center in Auburn, which also is the site for the following day's program.
On June 25, the conference program officially begins at 8 a.m. with
welcoming remarks and a plenary session is planned from 8:15 a.m. to
noon. The afternoon program offers poster and concurrent sessions on
a variety of subjects. Topics to be addressed in the concurrent sessions
include the history and economics of conservation tillage; development
of conservation tillage for vegetables, peanuts and soybeans; sod-based
rotations; and nutrient management, waste utilization and soil carbon.
A dinner that evening will feature award presentations to farmers and
researchers and entertainment from Randall Reeder, who will be portraying
Will Rogers.
The following day, June 26, will start with a voluntary "early
bird" tour of AU's Old Rotation historic research site, followed
by a producer-oriented Conservation Tillage Field Day, at the E.V. Smith
Research Center in Shorter. The Field Day offers practical information
and demonstrations for farmers and others interested in conservation
tillage practices.
Co-hosted by the Alabama Cotton Commission and the Alabama Wheat and
Feed Grains Committee, the Field Day features presentations on a wide
range of crops and conservation tillage concerns. Program participants
include researchers and extension specialists from throughout the region
and nation, farmers who will discuss their conservation tillage experiences
and many others from academia and agribusiness who have worked on conservation
tillage issues.
The Field Day, which is open to the public, will be held from 9 a.m.
to 2 p.m. and a free lunch is provided. Transportation from Auburn is
provided for conference registrants. Though the field day is free, those
attending only the field day are asked to make advanced reservations
for the lunch.
The conference is sponsored by the USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics Laboratory
Conservation Systems Research program, Alabama Agricultural Experiment
Station, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Georgia Conservation
Tillage Alliance, Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station
Directors, Association of Southern Region Extension Directors and the
USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service. Financial
sponsors include the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Society chapter,
Alabama Association of Conservation Districts, Alabama Cotton Commission,
Alabama Wheat and Feed Grains Committee, John Deere, Tarver Sales of
Alabama, Piedmont Fertilizer Co. and Monsanto Company. The technical
sponsor is Southeast Farm Press.
For more information about the conference or the field day, contact
Iversen at kiversen@acesag.auburn.edu or at 334-844-4791, extension
179. Visit the web site for the Conference and Field Day at http://www.ag.auburn.edu/nsdl/sctcsa/.
Contact: Katie Smith, 334-844-5887
Kirk Iversen, 334-844-4791, ext. 179
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By Katie Smith
5/10/02
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