Improved Decision-Making Is “Beltwide” Goal

Lizzy SchultzAg Group, agronomy, Cotton, Events

cottoncouncil1 Those planning to attend the 2017 Beltwide Cotton Conferences’ (BWCC), set for January 4-6 at the Hyatt Regency Dallas Hotel in Dallas, Texas, may register online and find information regarding hotel reservations on the BWCC website.

The conferences can help its attendees improve production, processing and marketing efficiency by providing them with insight into the latest available tools and research findings.

First up on the agenda for the 2017 BWCC is the half-day Cotton Consultants Conference, which will focus on topics of interest selected by a panel of consultants. Scheduled presentations include updates on the status of, and educational efforts for, the use of auxin herbicides on transgenic cottons by Dow and Monsanto, “The Smartirrigation Cotton App with a National Footprint,” am irrigation scheduling tool that has recently become usable across the entire U.S. Cotton Belt, and “Target Spot and Bacterial Blight,” which sheds light on cultivar responses to various diseases that affect cotton.

The Consultants’ Conference also will feature a “New Developments from Industry” session, with reports on new varieties, chemistries, equipment and other emerging technologies.

The Cotton Technical Conferences will meet January 5th and 6th, and will provide updates on research and a look into the technology pipeline. The Technical Conference sessions will host entomologists’ updates on the latest research with regard to several classes of insecticides, and reports on successful weed management strategies.

The cotton agronomy, physiology, and soil technical conferences will be combined into one conference with multiple sessions, including a comprehensive simulation model of cotton physiology, nitrogen management for subsurface drip-irrigated cotton and quality/yield evaluation trials across the Cotton Belt.

The Ginning Conference, which begins on the afternoon of January 4th, will include several presentations critical to efficient processing and marketing, such as module averaging and lint contamination prevention. This conference will also feature a panel discussion on the issues associated with ginning cotton varieties with small seed size, and the National Cotton Ginners’ Association will hold several committee and subcommittee meetings. Click here for a schedule of those meetings.

Registration costs before December 16 for the NCC-coordinated forum are: $200 for NCC/Cotton Foundation members, university and USDA researchers, Extension personnel, associations and consultants; $400 for non-NCC/Foundation members; and $80 for students. On-site conference self-registration kiosks will be available 24 hours a day beginning on the evening of January 3.