Registration for 2015 Beltwide Cotton Conferences Opens as Program Takes Shape

Registration now is open for the 2015 Beltwide Cotton Conferences.

During the National Cotton Council-coordinated forum – set for January 5-7 at the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, TX – attendees will have access to individual reports and panel discussions containing information useful for helping them make key cotton research/production/marketing-related decisions.

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Housing/registration instructions, a schedule of events and general information can be found online. Registration fees – through December 15 – are $175 for NCC/Cotton Foundation members, university and USDA researchers, Extension personnel, associations and consultants; $300 for non-NCC members and $80 for students.

Considered the world’s premier cotton technical meeting, the Beltwide Conferences annually brings together stakeholders of a healthy U.S. cotton production sector, including industry members, university and USDA researchers, Extension personnel/agents, consultants, and industry sales/support personnel. Attendees are encouraged to take advantage of the dynamic conference program and the opportunity to network with peers from across the Cotton Belt.

Continuing education units – or CEUs – are also offered.

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The meeting serves as a forum for intra- and inter-disciplinary exchanges on a wide range of topics and provides a place where attendees can gather and coordinate plans for ongoing or new research efforts for the coming production year.

The 2015 Beltwide Conferences will begin at noon on January 5 with a Cotton Consultants Conference that will highlight new developments from industry, including discussions of and reports on new varieties, chemistries and emerging technologies. The session is open to all attendees and also will include an update on NCC-led efforts to deliver contamination-free cotton and other challenges the U.S. cotton industry is currently facing.

On January 6 and 7, the 11 cotton technical conferences will meet concurrently. Some technical conferences will meet jointly with the consultants conference at specific times to discuss key issues in those disciplines, including pollinator health and control of plant bugs and other key insect pests.

A panel discussion will feature state-by-state university recommendations for overall weed control, including management of Palmer amaranth and waterhemp utilizing new and existing technologies. Other topics likely to be addressed are managing nematodes, target leaf spot, root rot and other cotton diseases; the results of uniform agronomy/physiology studies conducted in multiple Cotton Belt locations during 2014; plant nutrition/soil management, including updates on irrigation and fertility practices, and the current status on development of the Fieldprint Calculator.

In addition to research discussions, several industry recognition events – including Cotton Grower Magazine’s Cotton Achievement Award – will be held in conjunction with the Beltwide Conferences. The National Cotton Ginners Association will also meet during the Conferences, including participation in the technical conferences for ginning and engineering systems.

On-site conference self-registration kiosks will be continuously available beginning the evening of January 4. NCC staff will be available beginning January 5 to help attendees needing registration assistance.

 

Source – National Cotton Council

 

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