Crop Science ConferencesAGMasters 2011

Welcome

It is our pleasure to welcome everyone to the 3rd annual AGMasters Conference! Thanks for your participation in this year’s program. The conference format will be similar to last year with a single general session followed by 1 ½ days of advanced classes designed to challenge participants with the latest information on specialized and relevant topics. The general session theme will focus on the challenges that pest resistance has created and examine potential solutions. We will begin the conference with a thought provoking presentation from Leonard Gianessi, Director of the Crop Protection Research Institute, Washington, DC. His comments will focus on the importance of herbicides to U.S. agriculture and why their continuing use is essential to maintain current levels of productivity. Following his remarks, other speakers will continue to address the resistance issue from their own unique specialties and experiences including the development of fungicide, herbicide, and Bt resistance. Following the formal presentations within the general session, a panel of University of Illinois Extension specialists will offer some comments about the 2011 season and then provide some predictions for upcoming crop production challenges in 2012. We believe the AGMasters Conference is unique because participants can tailor-make their program by choosing six advanced sessions from a line-up of twelve specialized classes. Each advanced session is taught using a classroom style setting with a maximum of 40 students per class. In these small classroom settings, instructors are able to stimulate questions and increase the level of dialogue. The advanced sessions will include a variety of emerging and important topics including: Goss’s wilt of corn, mystery application products, potential invasion of stink bug species into corn and soybeans, plant responses to environmental extremes, protecting your business with record retention procedures, unexpected consequences of glyphosate applications, and improving the effectiveness of adjuvants. Many of the advanced sessions will be taught by out-of-state speakers from other universities including: Iowa State University, Purdue University, Southern Illinois University, University of Arkansas, University of Maryland, and the University of Wisconsin. The Co-Chairs of this year’s AGMasters Conference are happy you have chosen to invest your time with us. Thank you. We value your time and welcome any feedback that you might have for us. We wish you a Happy Holiday Season and a prosperous 2012.

Dennis Bowman, Carl Bradley, Mike Gray, Aaron Hager, and Sandy Osterbur

Featured Presentation

Panel of Specialists

A panel of University of Illinois Extension Specialists will look back and offer some comments regarding the 2011 growing season with an emphasis on the major problems and issues that producers faced. More importantly, this panel will offer some predictions and insights regarding 2012 that could lead to a more profitable year for farmers. The panel will include Carl Bradley, Fabian Fernandez, Mike Gray, Aaron Hager, and Emerson Nafziger. After some opening remarks from each specialist, they will respond to questions from the audience.