COVERING GROUND
Planting season just around the corner
PETER MCGUILL

Planting season is just around the corner and many growers are actively getting fertilizer in the ground and preparing fields for the 2008 crop. It is also the time of year that we are busily preparing winter educational programs for our area row crop and rice farmers. These events offer useful production information and continuing education units for pesticide applicator license holders.

Our conferences will get kicked off with the Upper Gulf Coast Feed Grain Conference. This event will be held at the Bay City Convention Center Tuesday, Jan. 15. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will conclude with a noon meal. The Upper Coast Cotton Conference will be hosted by Wharton County and will be held at the Wharton County Fairgrounds Directors' Room on Thursday, Jan. 17. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will conclude with a noon meal. Both of these conferences will have Extension specialists present research proven data to support and educate growers. Three CEUs will be offered at each of these events for Private, Commercial, and Non- Commercial licensed as CCA credits for Certified Crop Advisors.

El Campo Civic Center will play host to the 4th Annual Western Rice Belt Production Conference on Jan. 23. This event has continued to grow in size and popularity since its beginning. Researchers and Extension specialists from Texas and Louisiana will speak at this event. Registration is at 8 a.m., but be sure to get there early to visit with the many exhibitors that will be set up both inside and outside of the Civic Center. Three CEUs will be offered at this event as well.

We will wind down January with the Wharton County CEU Workshop. Those individuals that need to complete their Texas Department of Agriculture license renewal requirements before the end of February will have the opportunity to earn five credits on Jan. 31 at the Wharton County Fairgrounds Directors' Room. Registration will be at 7 a.m. and will conclude with lunch. A $15 registration fee will be collected at the door.

We will conclude our run of winter programs with the Texas Soybean Production Conference on Feb. 5 at the El Campo Civic Center. With the rising price of fertilizer and the increased market price for soybeans, we could see a marked increase in acres planted to soybeans in 2008. Extension specialists and research scientists will present data from their research work as well as discuss other production issues at this conference. The Texas Soybean Association will conduct their annual meeting at the conclusion of the production conference and will provide lunch for those in attendance.

I look forward to seeing many of you at these conferences. It is a great time for growers to visit with each other in addition to seeing the unbiased, university research-based data that will be presented. For more information on these conferences call Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Wharton County office, at (979) 532-3310.