Farm Profitability Conference
URBANA--A day-long conference planned to enable producers to meet rapid change in agriculture head-on will be held December 10 at the Holiday Inn in Urbana, sponsored by the University of Illinois Agroecology/Sustainable Agriculture program at the University of Illinois, North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program and the Philip Morris Corporation. Co-Sponsors include the following: Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Illinois Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Stewardship Alliance, Illinois Sustainable Agriculture Society, Indiana Sustainable Agriculture Association, Organic Crop Improvement Association, Illinois Chapter
Prairie Hills RC&D, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Office of Research, University of Illinois Extension, Western Illinois Sustainable Agriculture Society
USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, and USDA Rural Development.
"Though it is starting to sound trite, it's true; today's successful farm producers must prepare themselves for unprecedented levels of change," said Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, U of I Extension sustainable agriculture specialist. "This conference--Farming Profitably in a Changing Environment--offers a mixture of producers and scientists to talk about effective ways of meeting the challenge of change."
Three keynote speakers and more than 30 presenters in break-out sessions will address topics including environmental issues, soil health and soil quality, marketing, organic agriculture, resource protection and conservation, and livestock and crop enterprises.
"Whether you farm, own farmland, or work with those who do, this conference will be a good source for practical, applicable innovative ideas," she said.
Keynoters are: Alan Guebert, columnist, Delavan, Illinois; Mike Duffy, Iowa State University agricultural economist, Associate Director for the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and Professor-in-Charge of the Iowa State Beginning Farming Center; and Michele Gale-Sinex, communications manager, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Some of the breakout session topics include a pilot watershed program, soil organic matter management, composting, cooperatives, marketing, organic grain and livestock production, conservation tillage, management intensive grazing, and conversion from grains to vegetables.
A reception, "Savory and Sweet Gifts from the Land", featuring foods grown in Illinois and Indiana will bring the event to a close.
"Those interested should register early as the conference is limited to 250 participants," said Cavanaugh-Grant.
Registration is $30 per person if received by November 20. After that date or at the door, registration is $50 per person.
To register or obtain more information about the conference, contact Cavanaugh-Grant at (217) 968-5512, e-mail cavanaughd@mail.aces.uiuc.edu.
<italic>Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences Department
Agroecology/Sustainable Agriculture Program
P.O. Box 410
Greenview, Illinois 62642
217/968-5512 (office phone and FAX)
</italic>Email:cavanaughd@mail.aces.uiuc.edu
http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/~asap/
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