September 23, 2008

Fertilizer-pesticide conference set for Nov. 25

by Ashley McRaven

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The 41st Annual Fertilizer and Pesticide Conference is Nov. 25 at the Holiday Inn in Mt. Vernon. The conference from the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Division of Continuing Education runs from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. The theme is “Weathering the Storms of Opportunity.”

Jerry Hatfield and Jim Rasor are the keynote speakers. Hatfield is lab director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service National Soil Tilth Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. He will discuss how changing nitrogen inputs affects corn production and how to balance inputs over a period of growing seasons for efficient corn production.

Rasor is chief meteorologist for WSIL TV 3, and he’ll be chatting informally about weather in the region with an eye on the upcoming season.

The conference registration fee is $40 for participants registering before Nov. 20 or $50 after that date. For more information or to register, contact the Division of Continuing Education at 618/536-7751 or register online at www.dce.siu.edu.