For those farmers seeking more information on no-till farming relevant to our area, I would suggest you consider attending the "Cover Your Acres" winter conference in Oberlin.

The event has been well attended, with about 700 growers attending last year, and the attendance numbers have been about the same for past conferences.

The only reason I bring that up is to emphasize it is a good conference with good information for no-till farmers and for those not no-tilling, as well. The high attendance numbers continue to indicate that. The entire conference consists of breakout sessions, meaning you have several choices each hour and can pick and choose what sessions you want to attend. Or, if you need a break, you can get some coffee and stroll around and look at the vendor booths.

If anyone is interested in attending and wants to ride with someone else, give me a call. We might be able to travel together and save a few bucks on gas. Read on, and find out more about the conference.

The 2009 Cover Your Acres Winter Conference is slated for Jan. 20 to 21 at the Gateway Civic Center in Oberlin. The conference will be two days, with the same program on both days.

The event, sponsored by Kansas State University Research and Extension and the Northwest Kansas Crop Residue Alliance, will feature presentations on the latest technology, methods and conservation practices to improve crop production on the High Plains.

Some of the breakout topics to be covered include: weed strategies in grain sorghum; wheat residue management; crop insurance; grain marketing strategies; advances in breeding technology; carbon credit trading; yield forecasts from satellite images; glyphosate resistance; plant nutrition; advances in breeding technology; oilseed production, marketing and storage; and pros and cons of UAN (urea-ammonium nitrate) with herbicides for wheat.

Other topics include: limited irrigation and no-till; sprayer setup: improve efficacy and reduce drift; improvements in corn traits; planter, drill closing and press wheel options; what do you want from k-state agronomy; mechanics of strip till; managing rust on wheat; sunflower production; goss' wilt in corn; the value of nitrogen testing; and the state of fertilizer in 2009.  

Two farmer panels will address the topics: things to do before you start to no-till and summer crop plant population.

Refreshments and heavy hors d'oeuvres will be available as participants take part in an industry-sponsored "Bull Session" as they view the exhibits.

An early registration fee of $22 (for the day of one's choice) is payable by Tuesday. After that date and at the door, the fee is $45. All registrations include the conference proceedings, refreshments and a noon meal. The registration form can be printed off from our Web site, www.ellis.ksu.edu.

Continuing education credits are available for crop consultants and commercial pesticide applicators.

More information is available by calling your local county Extension office, (785) 462-6281 or e-mail bolson@ksu.edu.

Stacy Campbell is Ellis County agricultural agent with Kansas State Research and Extension.