December 17, 2009

Producers will learn how to benefit from new technological advancements at the 10th annual Nebraska Agricultural Technologies Association Conference and Trade Show. It will be January 27-28 at the Midtown Holiday Inn in Grand Island.

Conference attendees will learn to use the latest technology to improve their production efficiencies and can glean insights from national and international precision agriculture experts, said Dave Varner, program coordinator and Dodge County extension educator.

General sessions topics and speakers include:

• "Adoption of Precision Agriculture by Australian Grain Growers" and "Global Perspectives of Site-specific Weed Management," Australian farmer Sam Trengove
• "Precision Nutrient Management on Site-Specific Management Zones," Raj Khosla, Colorado State University
• "Mapping Evapotranspiration with High Resolution and Internalized Calibration (METRIC)," Gary Hergert, UNL Extension Soils Specialist
• "Monitoring Irrigation Water Application with Computerized Controllers," Bill Kranz, UNL Extension Irrigation Specialist
• "Broadband: Who Needs It?," Sandra Scofield, Nebraska Rural Initiative, and Carol Farnham, Signa Solutions

Participants may choose among 12 concurrent sessions that address topics such as using active crop canopy sensors for in-season nitrogen management, powering pivots by solar and wind energy, hands-on Excel and irrigation efficiency workshops, irrigation water management technologies, precision manure management, regional RTK networks, smartphone capabilities, and online networking.

Special pre-conference workshops will focus on “Optimizing Pivot Irrigation Management” and “Social Media Applications in Agriculture.” Both workshops will be offered on January 27 beginning at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. respectively.

Registration

For NeATA members advance registration is $95 if postmarked by Jan. 15 and $120 thereafter; for non-members, it’s $120 and $145. Those planning to attend can register by sending their name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and payment to the Nebraska Agricultural Technologies Association, 1206 W. 23rd St., Fremont, Neb. 68025-2504. Conference brochures are available at UNL Extension Offices, the http://neata.org NEATA Web site, or 800-830-4855.

Eight Certified Crop Advisor continuing education credits are available to conference participants. Additional CEUs may be available for pre-conference programs.

A block of rooms has been reserved through January 12 at the Midtown Grand Island Holiday Inn Hotel and Convention Center. Call (800) 548-5542 for reservations.

The conference is sponsored by the Nebraska Agricultural Technologies Association (NeATA) and UNL Extension, a division of UNL's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. For more information, call Varner at (402) 727-2775 or e-mail dvarner1@unl.edu.